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SECOND  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OE  PENNSYLVANIA: 

1874. 


SPECIAL  REPORT 

ON  THE 

PETROLEUM  OE  PENNSYLVANIA, 

ITS 

PRODUCTION,  TRANSPORTATION,  MANUFACTURE  AND 
STATISTICS. 

By  henry  E.  WRIGLEY. 

WITH 

MAPS  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


TO  WHICH  AKE  ADDED 

A MAP  AND  PROFILE  OF  A LINE  OF  LEVELS  THROUGH 
BUTLER,  ARMSTRONG  AND  CLARION  COUNTIES. 

By  D.  JONES  LUCAS. 


AND  ALSO 

A MAP  AND  PROFILE  OF  A LINE  OF  LEVELS  ALONG'  S;^IPPERY  ^ 

ROCK  CREEK.  S« 

By  J.  P.  LESLEY. 


HARRISBURG  : 

Published  by  the  Board  of  Commissioners 

FOR  TIIK  SECOND  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY. 

1815. 


» w 


Entered,  for  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania,  in  the  year  1875,  according 

to  acts  of  Congress, 

By  JOHN  B.  PEARSE, 

Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  of  Geological  Survey. 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at 

WASHINGTON,  D.  0. 


Electrotyped  by  Printed  by 

OOLLINS  & M’CLEESTER,  B.  F.  MEYERS,  State  Printer^ 

rillLADELFUIA.  UABRI8BURO,  FA, 


BOARD  OF  COMMISSIONERS. 


His  Excellency,  JOHN  F.  HARTRANFT,  Governor, 

and  ex-officio  President  of  the  Board,  Harrisburg. 


Ario  Pardee,  - - - - 

- Hazleton. 

William  A.  Ingham, 

- Philadelphia. 

Henry  S.  Eckert,  - 

- Heading. 

Henry  M’Cormick,  - 

- Harrisburg. 

James  Macfarlane,  - 

- Towanda. 

John  B.  Pearse, 

- Philadelphia. 

Eobert  B.  Wilson,  M.  D., 

- Clearfield. 

Hon.  Daniel  J.  Morrell, 

- Johnstown. 

Henry  W.  Oliver,  - - - 

• Pittsburg. 

Samuel  Q.  Brown,  - 

- Pleasantville. 

SECRETARY  OF  THE  BOARD 
John  B.  Pearse, Philadelphia. 


STATE  GEOLOGIST 

Peter  Lesley, Philadelphia. 


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Titusville,  Pa.,  December  31,  1874. 

Professor  J.  P.  Lesley, 

State  Geologist : 

Dear  Sir: — In  obedience  to  the  instructions  received  from  you, 
I respectfully  present  the  following  report  upon  the  Oil  Regions 
of  Pennsylvania. 

' Trusting  that  the  nature  of  the  work  at  this  stage  of  the  sur- 
vey, will  obtain  consideration  for  whatever  incompleteness  it  may 
possess. 

I remain, 

Very  truly  yours, 

HENRY  E.  WRIGLEY,  C.  E. 


CONTENTS. 


Pagb. 

CHAPTER  I. — Historical,  - - * - - - - 1 

Section  1. — The  rise  and  progress  of  American  Oil  Mining,  1 
Theories  of  its  source,  belt  lines,  improvident 

method  of  working, 6 

Section  2. — Foreign  oil  fields  and  competitors,  India,  Aus- 
tria, the  shale  oils  of  Great  Britain,  - - 10 

CHAPTER  II. — Geographical, 15 

Section  1. — General  description  of  the  entire  oil  producing 
range  east  of  the  Mississippi,  as  defined  on 
Map  A,  including  Canada,  Pennsylvania, 

Ohio  and  West  Virginia,  and  Kentucky,  and 

Tennessee, 15 

Section  2. — Description  of  the  Pennsylvania  Oil  Region 
proper,  the  lines  between  the  Oil  and  Gas 
wells,  and  the  description  of  the  known  oil 
areas,  as  defined  on  Map  B,  - - - 19 

Section  3. — Description  of  the  outlying  points  that  have 
been  tested,  numbered  on  Map  B from  1 
to  65,  -------  34 

CHAPTER  III. — Geological, 41 

The  prominent  points  concerning  the  relative  situation  of 
the  horizon  of  the  oil  bearing  sand-rock,  illustrated  by 
a section  from  Lake  Erie  to  the  Ohio,  - - - - 41 

CHAPTER  IV.^Economical, 47 

Section  1. — Statistics  of  production,  cost  and  proceeds  of 
the  product  from  the  beginning  to  date ; the 
net  earnings  of  the  entire  region,  - - 47 

Section  2. — Method  of  drilling  and  pumping,  illustrated 
by  Plate  A, 


50 


Vlll 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 

Section  3. — Pipe  lines,  tlieir  construction  and  capabilities; 

comparative  value  of  this  method  of  trans- 
portation, - - - - - - - 56 

Section  4. — Refining  ; composition  and  properties  of  oil ; 

regulation  of  its  manufacture  to  secure 
safety ; fire-test  and  sale  of  oil  by  weight,  64 
Section  5. — Uses  of  Petroleum  ; crude,  as  a preservative  ; 

refined  oil,  as  an  illuminator ; the  use  of  re- 
siduum in  lubricating  oils  ; naphtha  for  paint- 
ing; aniline  colors;  hydrocarbons  as  fuel,'  71 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  MAPS. 

Map  a. — Showing  the  entire  oil  producing  regions  of  the  eastern 
United  States,  together  with  the  relative  position  and 
areas  of  the  four  main  oil  regions,  Canada,  Pennsyl- 
vania, Ohio  and  Kentucky. 

Showing  also  the  water  shed  of  the  country,  the  sum- 
mit line  near  the  Lake,  and  the  relative  situation  of 
Pennsylvania. 

Map  B. — The  Pennsylvania  oil  regions  proper,  with  all  adjoining 
developments  in  Ohio,  New  York  and  West  Virginia. 

The  present  oil  centres  outlined  and  defined,  under 
their  separate  and  special  names,  and  the  outlying 
developments  numbered  and  described. 

A section  giving  an  outline  of  the  relative  situation 
of  the  oil  bearing  sands  from  Lake  Erie  to  the  Ohio 
river.  (Printed  separately.) 

Plate  A. — Plan  of  a well  rig  and  tools  for  artesian  drilling,  (with 
details,)  as  in  use  at  present  in  the  Pennsylvania 
region. 

A map  and  profile  of  a line  of  levels  through  Butler, 
Armstrong  and  Clarion  counties. 

A map  and  profile  of  a line  of  levels  along  Slippery 
Rock  creek. 


CHAPTEK  I. 


THE  HISTORY  OF  PETROLEUM  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 


.Section  1. — The  Rise  and  Progress  of  American  Oil  Mining — 
Theories  of  its  Source — Improvident  Manner  of  Working. 

The  history  of  Petroleum  is  so  much  a matter  of  tradition  and 
so  familiar  to  all;  that  in  presenting  even  an  outline  of  such  facts 
as  it  might  seem  important  to  record  as  reliable,  the  double  diffi- 
culty is  encountered,  not  only  of  rehearsing  well  worn  state- 
ments, but  also  that  of  displacing  and  brushing  away  many 
errors,  fancies  and  misconceptions  that  from  the  peculiar  circum- 
stances attending  the  excitement  of  its  rapid  and  astonishing  de- 
velopment, have  grown  from  constant  repetition  to  be  considered 
as  positive  truth. 

Regardless  of  either  of  these  probable  objections,  it  would 
seem  eminently  proper  to  place  upon  record  here  all  such  details 
as  are  known  to  be  without  question,  and  as  fully  as  the  limits 
of  this  paper  will  permit,  for  the  purpose  of  forming  a correct 
general  estimate  of  what  has  been  done  in  the  past,  what  is  the 
present  situation,  and  what  the  promise  of  the  future. 

The  earliest  mention  of  Petroleum  in  the  State  of  Penn- 
sylvania seems  to  have  occurred  in  the  report  of  the  Commander 
of  Fort  Duquesne  to  General  Montcalm,  in  the  year  1750,  he 
having  witnessed  a ceremony  of  the  Seneca  Indians  on  Oil 
Creek,  a prominent  feature  of  which  was  a fire  made  from  the 
oil  which  had  oozed  to  the  surface  of  the  ground.  Subsequently 
along  the  entire  range,  from  New  York  to  Tennessee,  in  which 
Petroleum  has  since  been  found,  the  earliest  settlers,  as  well  as 
the  Indians,  have  not  only  found  oil  springs,  or  surface  exuda- 
tions of  oil,  but  seem  to  have  developed  them  in  a crude  way  on 
account  of  the  medicinal  properties  of  the  oil. 

We  find  along  Oil  Creek,  particularly  between  Titusville  and 
Oil  City,  the  circular,  square  and  oval  walled  pits,  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  feet  deep,  cribbed  with  timber,  which  are  so  often  re- 
ferred to  as  being  the  work  of  a race  of  people  who  occupied 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OP 


J.  2. 

the  country  prior  to  the  advent  of  the  Indian  tribes.  From  the^ 
number  of  these  pits  and  their  systematic  arrangement,  Petro- 
leum was  doubtless  obtained  in  considerable  quantities.  Trees  of 
a growth  of  centuries  have  been  found  starting  from  within 
these  pits,  and 'their  age  correspondingly  estimated ; neverthe- 
less, however  we  may  be  disinclined  to  disturb  a story  so  in- 
teresting, it  is  perhaps  equally  possible  that  the  pits  spoken  of 
being  shallow,  were  walled  around  the  tree,  as  the  roots  of  a 
tree  are  often  found  to  form  a conduit  for  any  fluid  that  is  reach- 
ing the  surface  of  the  ground. 

For  many  years  the  entire  supply  of  Naphtha,”  as  it  was 
commonly  called,  was  obtained  from  the  surface  of  these  oil 
springs;  sometimes  by  the  use  of  a blanket  or  woolen  cloth, 
which,  when  spread  upon  the  surface,  absorbed  the  surface  oil, 
which  was  readily  wrung  out,  and  sometimes  by  the  use  of  a 
few  rude  trenches,  which  conveyed  the  water  and  oil  into  a com- 
mon basin,  from  which  they  were  pumped  into  broad,  shallow 
troughs,  shelving  off  to  the  ground  ; where  the  water  passed 
from  each  trough  into  the  next  a small  skimmer  was  adjusted 
just  under  the  surface  of  the  water,  so  as  to  collect  the  oil  and 
throw  it  off  to  one  side. 

As  late  as  the  year  1859  all  the  oil  known  as  Seneca  oil  or 
naphtha  was  obtained  in  this  way ; small  quantities  were  kept  by 
■ chemists,  and  as  a drug  it  was  considered  valuable  for  rheum- 
atism, flesh-wounds  and  similar  ailments. 

Before  leaving  the  earlier  history  of  Petroleum,  it  may  not 
be  amiss  to  refer  to  the  nation  or  people  who  held  sway  over 
these  lands  before  the  advent  of  the  white  man.  They  have  left 
truly  but  few  monuments  or  records,  but  to  those  who  have- 
passed  much  of  their  lives  in  the  woods  there  is  undisputed  evi- 
dence that,  as  a race,  they  are  to-day  much  under-valued.  We 
think  of  them  as  Indians  only,  and  our  uppermost  idea  of  an 
Indian  is  the  low  brute  that  has  been  retreating  for  two  cen- 
turies from  the  Atlantic  coast,  before  the  advancing  line  of  civil- 
ization. 

But  these  were  Indians,  pure  and  uncorruptcd  ; before  many 
a log  fire  at  night  old  settlers  have  recited  how  clear,  distinct 
and  immutable  were  their  laws  and  customs ; that  Avhen  fully 
understood,  a white  man  could  transact  the  most  important  busi- 


rENNSYJ.VANIAN  n^TROLKUM, 


J.  3. 


nesa  with  as  much  safety  as  he  can  to-day  in  any  commercial 
centre. 

One  example  may  be  valuable  : We  pride  ourselves  upon  our 
railroads  and  telegraph  as  means  of  rapid  communication,  and 
yet  while  it  was  well  known  to  the  early  settlers  tliat  news  and 
liglit  freiglit  would  travel  Avith  incomprehensible  speed  from 
tribe  to  tribe,  people  of  the  present  day  fail  to  understand  tlie 
complete  system  by  which  this  Avas  done. 

While  running  an  old  boundary  line  a few  years  ago  the  Avriter 
struck  some  blazes  on  the  line  trees  Avhich  led  off  suddenly  to 
the  left.  As  they  were  in  a totally  different  direction  from  that 
expected,  the  tree  Avas  blocked,  and  cutting  out  the  mark,  split 
the  block  down  in  the  usual  Avay  to  find  the  date  of  the  blaze  by 
counting  the  rings.  The  blaze  was  near  the  heart  of  the  tree  ; 
a fortunate  blow  of  the  axe  laid  bare  the  dull,  curled  chip  Avhich 
Avas  made  by  the  stone  hatchet  of  the  Indian  many  years  ago, 
and  he  kncAv  then  that  he  Avas  on  the  old  Indian  trail  from  Fort 
Venango  to  Conewango  Creek.  These  trails  Avere  “bee  lines’^ 
over  hill  and  dale,  from  point  to  point;  here  and  there  were  open 
spots  on  the  summits,  Avhere  runners  signaled  their  coming  by 
fires  AA^hen  on  urgent  business,  and  Avere  promptly  met  at  stated 
places  by  fresh  men. 

In  many  places  through  the  western  counties,  you  Avill  find 
traces  of  pits,  that  old  residents  will  tell  you  were  dug  by  AAdiite 
men  hunting  for  silver,  Avhich,  as  well  as  copper,  was  common 
among  the  Indians  and  was  supposed  by  first  comers  to  be  found 
in  the  vicinity;  but  as  experience  soon  proved,  the  copper  came 
perhaps,  from  Lake  Superior  by  this  Indian  express,  and  the  sil- 
ver just  as  possibly  from  the  far  Avest.  Our  railroads  Avind  along-^ 
the  valleys  almost  regardless  of  length  or  circuit,  if  a gradual 
rise  can  only  be  attained.  To  travellers  on  wheels,  straight  dis- 
tances between  points  are  much  less  formidable  than  is  generally 
supposed.  We  find  traces  of  the  example  of  the  Indian  in  the  first 
Avhite  men;  the  first  settlers  above  Titusville,  on  Oil  Creek  in 
1809,  took  their  bags  of  grain  on  their  backs,  Avalked  to  Erie,  fifty- 
three  miles  to  mill,  and  brought  home  their  flour  in  the  same  aaw  ; 
the  lumbermen  at  Warren  and  on  the  BrokenstraAv,  as  related 
in  the  address  of  Judge  Johnson  to  the  old  settlers  of  Warren 
county,  rafted  their  lumber  to  New  Orleans,  and  walked  home. 


J.  4. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OP 


This  digression  is  made  because  it  seems  important  to  a com- 
prehension of  the  earlier  history  of  this  product,  to  recognize 
fully  the  intelligence  of  the  Indian,  and  also  that  if  found  on 
Oil  Creek  or  in  Virginia,  there  was  no  bar  to  its  transportation 
throughout  the  entire  range  of  connected  tribes  in  all  parts  of 
the  country. 

The  precursor  of  the  discovery  of  Petroleum  was  that  of  salt; 
the  woodsman  found  that  the  deer  frequented  certain  springs, 
and  that  they  were  salt  springs  or  deer-licks,  so  that  he  built 
his  blinds  and  coverts  in  the  trees  overhead  and  in  the  brush 
around,  with  loop-holes  for  his  gun,  and  shot  his  game  at  leisure. 

Gradually  from  increased  demand,  the  salt  became  valuable 
and  the  deer  extinct.  Pits  were  dug,  and  finally  artesian  wells 
were  bored,  many  years  before  such  wells  were  drilled  for  oil. 

Tarentum,  above  Pittsburg,  where  the  first  salt  wells  were  lo- 
cated, and  probably  the  first  place  in  which  salt  Was  produced  for 
market  in  Western  Pennsylvania,  has  since  been  a leading  point 
in  the  manufacture  of  that  article.  Here,  with  the  brine,  was 
found  a brown  thick  naphtha,  which  outside  of  its  use  as  fuel  in 
the  evaporation,  had  always  been  a source  of  annoyance,  and 
wliere  found  in  considerable  quantities,  as  was  often  the  case  in 
wells  drilled  for  salt  on  the  Upper  Allegheny,  occasioned  the 
abandonment  of  the  well. 

The  success  of  Mr.  James  Young,  of  Scotland,  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  illuminating  oils  from  the  destructive  distillation  of  bitu- 
minous shale,  stimulated  the  application  of  a similar  process  to 
the  crude  oil,  and  in  1850,  Mr.  Samuel  Kier,  of  Pittsburg,  erected 
a small  refinery  and  commenced  its  distillation;  his  success  was 
limited  only  to  the  small  (piantity  which  he  was  then  enabled  to 
obtain,  and  as  the  natural  result  of  sucli  a fact  penetrating  fhe 
minds  of  business  men,  the  effort  to  remedy  this  was  not  long 
wanting. 

The  best  known  and  the  most  prolific  of  the  Oil  Springs  being 
(ni  Oil  Creek,  Venango  County,  Pennsylvania,  it  was  natural  that 
the  search  for  oil  should  first  bo  there  directed,  and  in  1858, 
Messrs.  J.  G.  Pveloth  and  George  H.  Bissell,  of  New  York  City, 
having  leased  from  Messrs.  Brewer,  Watson  Co.,  of  dhtusville, 
one  hundred  acres  of  land  on  the  northern  border  of  Venango 
County,  just  below  the  village,  on  which  was  an  oil  spring  of 


1 ’ ENNS Y 1 ; Y A N 1 A N P ET P ( ) L EU  M . 


J.  5. 


considerable  size,  which  liad  for  years  been  tlie  source  ol‘  some 
small  profit,  they  determined  to  sink  upon  it  an  artesian  well, 
similar  to  those  that  were  bored  lor  salt  at  'J'arenturn  and  else- 
where. 

For  this  purpose  they  engaged  Mr.  E.  L.  Drake,  of  New  Haven, 
Connecticut,  who  seems  to  have  had,  as  a sole  recommendation, 
that  quiet  patience  and  perseverance  which  doggedly  pursues  its 
object  unmoved  by  present  difficulties,  or  the  prospective  results 
of  future  success  or  failure.  His  mission  on  earth,  however, 
seems  to  have  been  accomplished  by  the  sinking  of  this  first  well 
for  oil,  so  much  so,  that  he  appears  to  have  dropped  out  of  sight 
soon  afterward,  as  far  as  oil  was  concerned.  It  was  not,  how- 
ever, for  want  of  either  ability  or  courage  that  he  should  do  so, 
but  perhaps  awed  by  the  flood  of  industry  and  commerce  that, 
swelling  with  each  successive  year,  has  poured  a stream  of  wealth 
from  our  State — by  his  first  small  rift  in  the  rock — he  felt  that 
his  work  was  complete  ; and  the  careful  observer  will,  no  doubt, 
fully  concur  in  the  belief  that  the  testimonial  of  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania,  in  recognition  of  his  services,  was  an  act  of  sim- 
ple justice,  well  deserved,  to  a man  whose  fame  was  well  earned. 

On  Saturday  afternoon,  August  28,1859,  the  drill  of  the  Drake 
well  dropped  into  the  first  crevice,  at  a depth  of  71  feet;  when 
the  pump  was  adjusted,  the  well  produced  about  twenty-five 
barrels  per  day,  and  the  question  of  supply  being  virtually  set- 
tled, a great  industry  was  born. 

From  that  time  forward,  at  every  surface  indication' on  the  ' 
bottom  lands  of  the  creeks,  and  along  the  Allegheny  river,  wells 
were  rapidly  put  down.  A second  sand-rock  was  found  under- 
neath the  first  sand-rock  of  the  Drake  well,  at  a depth  of  about 
two  hundred  feet,  which  gave  a greater  yield,  and  in  February, 
1861,  Mr.  Funk  found,  upon  the  M’Elheny  farm  on  Oil  Creek,  a 
third  sand-rock,  and  the  first  flowing  well,  at  a depth  of  400  feet. 

Soon  afterwards  the  Phillips  well,  on  the  Tarr  larm.  Oil  Creek, 
at  the  same  depth,  flowed  three  thousand  barrels  per  day ; and 
soon  after  that  the  Empire  well,  in  the  vicinity  of  Mr.  Funk’s 
first  well,  also  three  thousand  barrels  per  day. 

The  consumption  of  oil  at  this  time,  as  an  illuminator,  was,  of 
course,  not  equal  to  this  enormous  supply,  which  was  sold,  for 


J.  6. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


the  time,  at  ten  cents  per  barrel,  and  often  given  away,  or  let 
run  to  waste. 

Production  was  paralyzed,  and  all  small  wells  abandoned,  and 
did  not  recuperate  until  1864,  when  the  total  amount  produced 
had  declined  to  less  than  4,000  barrels  per  day,  and  the  demand, 
from  the  steadily  increasing  consumption,  had  made  the  highest 
market  price  yet  known  for  Crude,  of  fourteen  dollars  per  bar- 
rel maximum,  and  an  average  of  over  nine  dollars  for  the  year. 

This  increased  demand  was  met  by  the  developments  at  Pit- 
hole,  and  the  discovery  that  the  oil  sand-rock  was  not  indicated 
by,  nor  confined  to  the  route  of  the  water  courses,  but  extended 
horizontally  under  the  hills,  and  could  be  reached  by  the  drill  at 
a depth  as  much  greater  as  the  height  of  the  hill  required. 

Bennehoff,  Pioneer  and  Stevenson  hills  were  thus  developed 
in  1866;  Tidioute  and  Triumph  hills  in  1867,  and  Pleasantville 
and  Shamburg  in  1868. 

Production  and  demand  ran  almost  side  by  side  for  the  next 
two  years.  Search,  however,  was  being  made  with  untiring  dili- 
gence for  new  oil  producing  spots. 

There  was  little  scientific  record  upon  which  to  base  calcula- 
tion. Scientists,  generally,  were  averse  to  giving  opinions,  with- 
out such  a thorough  investigation  as  would  require  not  only 
money,  but  time,  which  the  impatience  of  the/operator  could  not 
spare,  he  therefore  plunged  into  his  work,  trusting  to  give  liim 
a fair  average  of  success,  or  perhaps  to  deluge  him  with  favor — 
circumstances  which,  all  combined,  made  the  life  of  the  producer, 
in  the  earlier  times,  one  of  the  most  intense  excitement. 

Theories,  however,  were  not  wanting;  publications  without 
number  grappled  with  the  subject  and  settled  it  to  their  own  sat- 
isfaction for  the  time;  among  other  suppositions  of  the  origin  of 
Petroleum  was  gravely  stated,  that  it  was  the  ^Mirino  of  whales’^ 
from  the  North  Pole,  conveyed  by  siibteiTanean  cliannel.  Tlie 
term  “Oil  Belt,’^  naturally  fiiscinating,  came  early  into  use;  ma})s 
were  made  sliowing  the  supposed  course  of  the  basin  or  under- 
ground I’iver,  containing  of  course,  the  grain  of  truth  to  the  pound 
of  error.  The  most  valuable  of  all  tliese  propositions  was  that 
made  by  Mr.  C.  1).  Angell,  of  Franklin,  Pa.,  who,  observing  in 
1871,  that  a number  of  the  oil  producing  spots  when  noted  u])on 
a map,  would  bo  intersected  by  a straiglit  line,  whose  bearing 


1 ’ IC N NS  Y L V A N I A N 1 ’ I'7r  UO  L E U M . 


J.  7. 

•was  about  north  sixteen  degrees  east,  proceeded  to  define  this 
lino  carefully  u})on  the  ground,  and  while  he  discovered  at  inter- 
vals upon  it  some  new  producing  spots,  yet  failed  to  establisli  tlie 
theory  advanced  of  continuous  oil-belts. 

As  subsequent  investigation  lias  proved,  the  truth  of  his  sug- 
gestion lay  in  the  fact,  that  the  general  course  of  the  grand  cur- 
rent which  deposited  the  sand-rock  was  in  the  direction  named; 
the  error  of  his  statement,  in  the  fact  that  nature  never  works 
with  absolutely  straight  lines,  and  that  the  beds  of  sand-rock  are 
deposited  at  intervals  only,  as  may  be  seen  to  a greater  or  less 
extent  in  the  bottom  of  any  running  stream.  The  course  of  the 
great  belt  of  the  Butler  and  Clarion  region,  generally  north  twen- 
.ty-two  degrees  east,  lies  considerably  east  of  AngelPs  first  belt, 
and  is  crossed  by  a bed  of  sand-rock  known  as  the  Fourth 
Sand,”  which  was  probably  deposited  by  a previous  cross-cur- 
rent in  an  entirely  different  direction. 

The  section  of  the  oil  country  known  as  the  Lower  Oil  Eegion, 
and  comprising  the  territory  south  of  Franklin,  came  first  into 
notice  in  the  year  1868,  when  the  discovery  of  the  position  of  the 
sand-rock  equally  under  hill  and  valley,  resulted  in  some  good 
wells  at  Lawrenceburg,  on  the  hill  just  above  Parker’s  Landing. 

Acting  upon  the  discovery  previously  made  of  the  general  north- 
east and  south-west  direction  of  the  sand-rock,  its  precise  loca- 
tion was  gradually  defined  by  actual  test,  until  the  strip  of  oil 
producing  territory  had  reached  a length  of  over  twenty  miles, 
as  shoAvn  on  map  B,  and  the  published  map,  and  extended  from 
a point  near  the  liead- waters  of  Beaver  Creek,  in  Clarion  County, 
through  Petersburg  and  Parker’s  Landing,  to  a point  six  miles 
south-west  of  Millerstown,  in  Butler  County.  The  direction  of 
the  strip,  is  however,  by  no  means  a straight  line  as  is  popularly 
..supposed,  there  being  a bend  at  Parker’s  Landing,  as  shown,  of 
from  five  to  ten  degrees. 

It  would  be  unnatural  for  any  formation  which  was  the  result 
of  a deposit  from  moving  water,  to  be  found  in  a perfectly  straight 
line ; in  fact,  if  the  centre  of  the  development  is  carefully  noted, 
it  will  be  found  to  assume  the  form  of  a very  slight  wave  or  re- 
versed curve. 

For  the  past  two  years,  1873  and  1874,  the  production  of  oil 
.has  increased  so  rapidly  that  even  the  steady  growing  consump- 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


J.  8. 

tion,  which  has  from  its  decrease  in  cost  attained  unexpected 
proportions,  failed  to  maintain  the  balance  essential  to  a healthful 
condition  of  the  trade. 

The  result  has  been,  that  the  production  was  necessarily  con- 
fined  to  the  largest  wells,  or  rather  that  such  new  territory  only 
was  developed,  as  was  expected  to  produce  great  results ; de- 
velopment in  the  upper  region,  where  the  wells  were  of  a mod- 
erate size,  was  gradually  abandoned,  and  small  wells  shut  down 
entirely,  as  the  price  received  Avould  not  repay  the  cost  of  pump- 
ing. 

Notwithstanding  this,  the  surplus  of  oil  steadily  accumulated ; 
the  tankage  of  the  oil  region  and  the  east  was  increased,  until 
the  amount  now  on  hand,  in  the  former  place,  amounts  to  over 
3,100,000  barrels. 

In  1873,  when  the  enormous  production  first  showed  the  signs 
of  waning,  an  operator  at  Karns  City,  sinking  an  abandoned  well 
deeper,  struck  a fourth  sand-rock  lying  apparently  seventy  feet 
below  the  third,  and  obtained  a well  of  400  barrels. 

Tracing  out  this  rock,  by  development  in  the  usual  way,  it  was 
defined  as  a strip  (shown  on  the  published  map,  and  map  B) 
lying  diagonally  across  the  main  belt,  and  extending  for  about 
eight  miles  from  the  head  of  Armstrong  Ilun  to  Greece  City, 
and  is  more  fully  described  in  the  description  of  the  section  on 
map  B. 

The  terminus  of  this  cross-belt  was  found,  for  the  present  at. 
least,  at  this  latter  point,  a crescent  of  wells  having  been  drilled 
to  the  south  and  Avest  of  it  Avithout  result. 

At  the  present  time  Ave  are  on  the  eve  of  another  lull  in  the 
production,  Avhicli  may  tend  to  improve  the  prospects  of  all  in- 
terested. A continuation  of  the  upper  belt,  hoAvever,  Avhen  once 
discovered,  Avill  undoubtedly  be  folloAved  up  as  unremittingly  as 
before,  and  Avith  ecjual  disregard  of  the  future. 

Without  considering  the  question  of  blame,  or  possibility  of  a 
remedy,  it  seems  to  be  a fact  that  merits  serious  attention,  that 
Ave  have  reaped  this  fine  harvest  of  mineral  Avealth  in  a most 
reckless  and  wasteful  manner. 

When  Ave  carefully  consider  the  sliort  life  of  the  best  territory 
that  has  been  found,  liow  comparatively  small  is  the  relative  pro- 
portion of  the  actual  producing  area  to  tlie  entire  region,  it  be- 


PENNSYLVANIAN  PETROLEUM. 


J.  9. 

comes  a serious  question,  even  in  the  face  of  tlio  enormous  pro- 
duction of  to-day,  whether  we  shall,  in  this  Commonwealth,  con- 
tinue to  supply  petroleum  to  the  next  generation. 

The  prime  difficulty  encountered  in  operating  the  country  in 
Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  seems  to  have  been  only  the  distance 
from  a market  and  want  of  proper  facilities,  all  of  which  would 
be  overcome  by  an  increase  in  the  price  of  the  crude  product. 

Whether  any  protection  to  our  general  interests  in  this  mat- 
ter as  a State  is  possible  or  advisable,  is  a question  that  present 
abundance  has  caused  to  be  put  out  of  sight. 

Should  American  and  even  foreign  Petroleum  cease  to  be  ob- 
tained, the  world  would  be  amply  supplied  with  Shale  oil. 

It  should  however  be  remembered,  that  to  take  the  lead  in 
this  matter,  we  should  not  only  be  able  to  produce  oil,  but  to 
produce  it  the  cheapest.  Oil  from  twenty-five  cents  a barrel  in 
1861,  rose  to  fourteen  dollars  a barrel  in  1864.  Should  such  a 
demand  occur  again,  it  is  doubtful  if  operators  would  be  content 
to  glean  the  present  fields,  if  fresh  territory  were  to  be  found 
elsewhere. 

One  of  the  immediate  causes  of  the  rapid  decline  of  oil  terri- 
tory is  the  water  logging^’  of  the  lower  sand-rock.  With  the 
present  system  of  casing  a well  and  working  through  the  casing^ 
this  evil  has  been  remedied  to  a considerable  degree. 

The  surface  water  of  the  upper  sand-rocks  seems  in  all  cases 
to  have  been  impenetrably  sealed  by  the  underlying  slate  from 
the  oil  bearing  rocks  below;  in  all  territory,  however,  after  the 
^‘head  of  gas”  is  taken  off  and  the  well  ceases  to  flow  from  having 
expended  its  motive  force,  more  or  less  surface  water  reaches 
the  oil  rock. 

We  are  accustomed  to  consider  water  as  a fluid  of  lighter 
gravity  than  any  other  with  which  we  are  practically  acquainted, 
but  in  this  case  water  is  heavier  than  oil,  and  will  fill  the  in- 
terstices of  the  rock  to  the  exclusion  of  the  oil.  As  this  rock  or 
sponge  is  simply  the  only  reservoir  from  which  we  obtain  oil, 
when  it  is  water-logged  our  well  is  efiectually  ^^corked.” 

Were  it  possible  to  exclude  from  the  sand-rocks  every  particle 
of  water,  we  know  from  instances  in  isolated  places,  where  the 
wells  were  fully  controlled,  that  the  production  has  not  only  con- 


J.  10. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


tinned  for  a number  of  years,  but  might  seemingly  with  care 
have  been  prolonged  many  more. 

It  is  also  a question  worthy  of  examination  whether  the  pro- 
duction of  the  hill  districts  was  not  caused,  or  at  least  greatly  in- 
creased, by  the  circumstances  of  the  oil  being  driven  back  from 
the  sands  of  the  creek  by  this  surface  water. 

Still  another  subject  worthy  of  notice  claims  our  attention  and 
gives  rise  to  the  inquiry  whether  we  are  reaping,  as  a State  and 
nation,  any  moderate  share  of  the  value  of  this  product. 

Refined  oil  retails  in  Great  Britain  at  45  cents  per  gallon ; in 
Germany  at  30  cents;  in  Austria  about  40  cents;  in  Sweden  and 
Norway  at  66  cents  per  gallon,  and  at  Melbourne,  Australia,  and 
other  remote  places  at  a still  higher  rate,  so  that  refined  oil  costs 
the  foreign  consumer  from  fifteen  to  thirty  dollars  per  barrel. 

Furthermore,  from  the  custom  in  vogue  in  Europe,  of  making 
mercantile  contracts  for  a long  term  of  years,  the  prices  to  the 
consumer  do  not  at  once  follow  the  variations  in  the  cost  of  raw 
material,  but  change  more  gradually. 

As  the  foreign  demand  constitutes  nearly  three-fourths  of  the 
consumption,  and  as  the  cost  of  refining  does  not  exceed  two  dol- 
lars per  barrel,  and  the  freight  to  Liverpool,  five  shillings  or  $1  25 
per  liarrel,  the  question  arises  to  what  extent  it  is  a matter  of 
moment  to  the  small  dealer  or  the  consumer  abroad,  whether  oil 
at  tlie  w^ells  can  be  purchased  at  fifty  cents  or  five  dollars  per 
barrel,  and  consequently  whether  the  income  to  the  State  and  the 
oil  community  is  fifteen  thousand  or  one  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars per  day. 

As  the  case  stands  now,  we  are  producing  in  reckless  haste, 
at  a positive  loss  to  the  community  at  large,  regardless  of  the 
consequences  to  the  territory  itself  or  anything  else,  save  the 
present  bountiful  supply.  Wlietlier  a remedy  exists,  has  become 
an  open  (question  ; the  chance  and  uncertainty  attending  the  ope- 
rations in  the  region,  have  rendered  it  impossible  so  far  to  estab- 
lish any  measures  for  mutual  benefit. 

Section  2. — Forelcjn  Oil  Fields. 

It  is  only  in  the  United  Htates  that  artesian  boring  is  resorted 
to  lor  the  purpose  of  obtaining  oil  in  (]uaiitities.  Hut  at  a num- 
ber of  j)oints  on  the  earth’s  surface  there  are  surface  indications 


FOliKKiN  OIL  FIFLDS. 


J.  11. 


of  rotroleiiiii  wliiclijin  sonic  instances^  yield  with  the  rudest  ma- 
chinery a considerable  return. 

The  predominance  of  the  American  oil  is  due  partly  to  its 
superior  quality  and  partly  to  the  abundance  of  its  supply. 
Had  labor  and  enterprise  in  other  lands  been  as  untrammeled  as 
with  us,  wo  should  not  have  enjoyed  the  present  monopoly. 

As  it  is,  the  supply  is  not  only  considerable,  but,  stimulated 
by  our  success,  is  slowly  increasing,  as  the  knowledge  of  our 
method  becomes  more  widespread,  and  sooner  or  later  will  at- 
tain proportions  that  will  interest  us. 

The  prominent  foreign  oil  fields  existing  to-day  (not  including, 
of  course,  the  Canada  region)  may  be  stated  as  follows: 

India. — The  Rangoon  district  of  the  Burman  Empire,  on  the 
Irawaddy  river,  which  has  produced  oil  for  an  unknoAvn  period, 
yielding  from  surface  wells  alone,  by  the  latest  and  best  authori- 
ties, nearly  one  million  barrels  per  annum. 

These  wells  are  from  fifty  to  two  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in 
depth,  of  no  greater  sectional  area  than  will  permit  a man  to 
stand  and  work,  and  are  cribbed  or  walled  up  with  timber.  (It 
is  worthy  of  remark  here  that  with  all  our  modern  appliances, 
we  have  been  unable  in  this  country  to  sink  a shaft  to  that  depth 
on  account  cf  the  gas,  which  cannot  fail  to  be  present  also  in  the 
Rangoon  wells.)  The  oil  and  water  being  drawn  to  the  surface 
by  means  of  a bucket  and  windlass,  and  the  oil  being  drawn  oft* 
the  top,  is  transported  to  market  on  ox-carts  in  earthen  jars. 

This  oil,  which,  from  all  accounts,  must  be  very  similar  to  our 
^‘heavy  oil,”  and  does  not  command  at  the  wells  over  fourteen 
cents  per  cwt.,  or  about  forty  cents  per  barrel — a sum  less  than 
our  own  oil  brings  even  in  the  present  depression. 

The  British  government,  with  an  earnest  desire  to  discover  so 
valuable  an  article  within  the  limits  of  its  empire,  has  caused  an 
examination  to  be  made,  by  an  American  geologist,  of  the  pro- 
vince of  the  Punjab,  in  British  India,  in  the  hope  that  a similar 
oil  field  might  be  obtained,  but  the  result  of  the  investigation 
was  discouraging. 

The  difficulties  attending  any  workdn  this  climate  on  account 
of  the  excessive  heat,  allows  but  a few  months  of  the  year  for 
active  labor.  The  distance  of  the  Punjab  from  the  commercial 


J.  12. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


centres  of  India,  and  the  great  expense  of  white  labor  em- 
ployed there,  will  delay  any  great  competition  in  this  quarter. 

An  oil  field  is  suspected  to  exist  in  the  Province  of  Assam ; 
but  no  investigation  has  yet  been  made,  on  account  of  the  un- 
wholesome and  dangerous  character  of  the  region. 

The  following  extract  from  the  report  of  Mr.  B.  S.  Lyman,  the 
Geologist  referred  to,  will  give  a synopsis  of  the  Punjab  dis- 
trict 

In  every  case  the  oil  seems  to  come  from  a deposit  of  very 
small  horizontal  extent,  sometimes  only  a few  feet,  seldom  as 
much  as  a few  hundred  yards.  The  oil  comes  from  a thickness 
of  about  one  hundred  feet,  and  the  natural  springs  yield,  at  one 
place,  as  much  as  three  quarts  per  day^  at  all  the  other  places  the 
oil  comes  from  a much  smaller  thickness  of  rock,  from  forty  feet 
at  Alugged,  and  twenty  at  Gunda  and  Punnoba,  downward. 

The  oil  is  dark  green  in  color,  and  so  heavy  as  to  mark  25°  of 
Beaume’s  scale  or  even  less.  The  Gunda  oil  has  been  burned  a 
little  by  the  natives,  with  a simple  wick  resting  on  the  side  of 
an  open  dish,  but  the  Punnoba  oil  is  more  inflammable,  and  needs 
a special  tube  for  the  wick.’’ 

An  analysis  of  the  Rangoon  Naphtha  specific  gravity,  870;  lOO 
^ parts  gave  tar  80  parts,  burning  oil  20  parts. 

China. — There  is  a singular  anomaly  in  the  fact  that  American 
Petroleum  is  exported  to  China,  in  the  face  of  the  existence  of 
the  article  and  its  production  to  some  extent  in  some  of  the  Pro- 
vinces; to  cap  tlie  climax,  of  what  to  an  American  would  appear 
an  absurdity,  tlie  Chinese  have  drilled  artesian  wells  for  the  last 
century,  attaining  a depth  of  2,000  feet.  China,  however,  being 
such  a chronic  exception  to  all  average  human  experience,  wo 
need  not  make  any  serious  estimate  of  its  future  oil  production. 

Japan.,  likewise,  lias  some  prospects  of  oil  which  were  being 
investigated  by  English  capital,  but  as  yet  is  only  in  the  primary 
stages  of  development. 

New  Zealand. — Certain  surface  indications  in  the  vicinity  ol 
Saranaki  seem  to  indicate  the  jiromiso  of  a future  yield,  which 
has  not  yet  been  realized  to  any  great  extent,  although  tools 
and  proper  irnjilements  were  sent  out  from  America,  and  a 
boring  attained  the  depth  of  375  feet. 


J.  13. 


FOIIKK.’N  OIL  FIELDS. 

Iliissia. — The  Petroleum  of  tlie  Caucasus/^  on  the  sliore  of  the 
Caspian  8ea,  obtained  from  tlie  skimming  of  surface  wells,  has 
been  known  almost  beyond  the  memory  of  man  ; the  oil  appears 
to  vary  in  gravity  from  28°  to  38°  Peaume,  and  until  recently, 
had  not  been  produced  to  any  greater  extent  than  one  hundred 
thousand  barrels  per  annum.  American  skill  and  machinery  has 
nevertheless  been  empWed  the  past  two  years,  and  with  great 
success,  oil  having  been  found  in  great  abundance  at  depths  of 
less  than  two  hundred  feet. 

Alsace  and  Hanover,  in  Europe ; Peru  and  Ecuador,  in  South 
America,  and  Nova  Scotia,  in  North  America,  have  all  produced 
a small  amount  of  oil,  and  have  all  been  operated  by  American 
enterprise,  or  by  the  aid  of  the  knowledge  gleaned  from  the 
work  in  Pennsylvania. 

As  an  instance  of  the  work  that  is  being  done  in  the  outside 
oil  fields,  and  with  the  object  of  throwing  some  light  upon  the 
idea  that  we  are  the  sole  and  permanent  possessors  of  this  min- 
eral wealth,  the  following  extract  from  the  letter  of  a friend  re- 
siding in  the  oil  regions  of  Gallacia,  Austria,  will  give  an  inside 
view  : 

Librantowa,  April  28,  1874. 

* A Chief  Engineer  of  the  Austrian  government 

left  me  bu1;an  hour  ago,  who  was  sent  to  make  an  investigation 
of  the  Gallacian  Oil  Region,  concerning  the  quantity  and  quality 
of  oil  produced ; also  to  gather  such  information  as  could  be  ob- 
tained from  the  records  of  wells,  with  a view  of  locating  a num- 
ber of  wells  for  the  government  to  test  the  geological  formation, 
and  report  the  same  to  the  Austrian  Congress,  (Reichrath,)  now 
in  session,  to  act  upon,  so  as  to  enable  the  government  to  issue  a 
geological  map  of  the  oil  country. 

I may  say  that  the  geological  formation  here  differs  vastly 
from  that  of  America,  nothing  but  the  tertiary  alluvial  formation 
has  been  found  as  yet,  and  the  oil  belts  are,  one  and  all,  of  anti- 
clinal nature.  * * 

But,  nevertheless,  oil  has  been  produced  in  wonderful  quan- 
tities, and  in  the  most  absurd  and  primitive  way.  If  an  Ameri- 
can operator  were  to  ‘ look  upon  one  of  these  oil  districts,  he 
would,  perhaps,  form  the  idea  that  ground-hogs  of  immense  size 


J.  14. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


had  been  at  work  there,  and  yet  when  one  looks  at  it  closer  and 
studies  it  deeper,  it  proves  all  the  more  the  richness  of  the  ter- 
ritory. 

Many  of  these  holes  have  given  a beggarly  owner  a princely 
return,  some  to  the  amount  of  $60,000  to  $80,000  each — a large 
sum  in  this  country — and  if  taken  into  consideration  with  the 
means  with  which  the  work  was  conducted,  it  certainly  proves  a 
rich  remuneration. 

Within  the  last  year  the  production  has  more  than  tripled 
from  that  of  previous  times,  not  exactly  from  more  working,  but 
from  a better  knowledge  of  local  spots ; whereas  formerly  there 
was  more  “ wild  catting.’’ 

On  the  whole  Ave  have  here  noAv,  at  present,  what  you  have 
had  in  America  for  some  time  past,  and  that  is  lots  of  oil  and  feAv 
buyers. 

The  refineries  here  are,  with  a few  exceptions,  owned  by 
JeAvs.  Crude  oil  has  ahvays  brought  a price  of  from  6 to  7 
florins  per  CAvt.,  Avhen  refined  oil  Avas  noted  at  11  @ 12  florins 
per  cwt.,  but  noAv  the  price  is  but  4 @ 4|  per  cwt.,Avith  oil  at  12 
florins  at  Vienna.” 

The  figures  given  above  Avould  make  crude,  at  the  Avells,”  in 
Austria,  14  cents  per  gallon ; in  Pennsylvania,  Avith  the  increased 
value  of  labor,  the  price  is  IJ  cents. 


THE  PETIiOLEUM  FIELDS. 


J.  15. 


CnAPTER  11. 

THE  GEOGRAPHY  OF  PETROLEUM. 


Section  1. — General  Description  of  the  entire  Oil  Producing  Range 

east  of  the  Mississijpji,  as  defined  on  Map  A,  including  Canadaj 

Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  West  Virginia,  Kentucky  and  Tennessee. — 

{See  Map  A.) 

The  present  watershed  of  the  country  through  which  passes 
the  eastern  range  of  oil  production  from  New  York  to  Tennessee^ 
is  that  defined  by  the  Ohio  and  Allegheny  rivers,  and  the  shores 
of  Lake  Erie. 

The  summit  between  the  Allegheny  river  and  the  Lake  lies 
much  nearer  to  the  Lake  than  is  general!}^  supposed,  and  is  indi- 
cated by  the  contour  line  on  Map  A. 

It  will  be  seen  that  this  summit  approaches  the  Lake  nearest 
at  Chautauqua  Lake,  New  York,  where  the  divide’’  between 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  Lake  Erie  is  less  than  five  miles  from  its 
shore. 

Upon  Map  A is  defined  the  relative  position  of  all  the  terri- 
tory east  of  the  Mississippi,  from  which  oil  is  now  or  has  been 
furnished,  including  Canada,  Ohio,  West  Virginia,  Kentucky  and 
Tennessee. 

While  of  late  years  these  other  oil  districts  have  for  the  time 
been  overshadowed,  as  it  were,  and  paralyzed  by  the  enormous, 
production  of  our  own  State,  it  is  still  advisable  not  to  forget 
their  existence,  nor  the  probability  that  any  cessation  of  supply 
on  our  part,  would  cause  such  a direction  of  enterprise  and  capi- 
tal to  their  heretofore  poorly  worked  fields,  as  might  result  in 
very  serious  competition. 

Furthermore,  it  is  convenient  for  geographical  reference,  to 
note  that  all  the  oil  found  in  the  eastern  United  States,  is  con- 
tained in  a belt  or  range  parallel  with,  and  considerably  west  of, 
the  Allegheny  Mountains. 

The  four  separate  oil  regions  differ  from  each  other  so  ma- 
terially in  almost  every  particular,  that  an  accurate  conception 


J.  16. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF 


of  the  relative  value  of  our  own  section  would  not  be  obtained 
by  the  general  observer,  without  noting  the  special  characteris- 
tics of  the  other  three. 

The  Canada  Oil  Begions. 

The  Canada  Oil  Regions  are  situated  in  the  western  part  of 
the  Dominion,  in  the  counties  of  Lambton,  Bothwell  and  Kent, 
Province  of  Ontario.  They  extend  from  near  Lake  Erie  to  Lake 
Huron,  and  from  the  St.  Clair  river  eastward  about  seventy 
miles. 

The  prominent  oil  producing  points  are  Petrolia,  Lambton 
county.  Oil  Springs,  Bothwell  county,  and  Bothwell,  Kent  county. 

Petrolia  is  sixteen  miles  south-east  of  the  outlet  of  Lake  Hu- 
ron ; Oil  Springs  seven  miles  south  of  it,  and  Bothwell  thirty-five 
miles  from  Oil  Springs. 

Western  Canada  has  no  coal,  the  land  descends  gently  to  the 
south-west,  and  the  general  dip  of  the  rock  is  westerly. 

The  oil  of  Canada  is  found  in  a flint-bearing  limestone,  varying 
from  close  to  open  in  its  construction,  and  largely  composed  of 
marine  shells,  and  other  fossils  peculiar  to  that  geological  hori- 
zon, the  Corniferous  Limestone.^’ 

The  gravity  of  the  oil  is  from  33°  to  43°  Beaume. 

The  following  record  of  the  wells  near  Petrolia,  indicates  the 
special  difference  of  the  underlying  rock : 

Yellow  clay,  5 to  15  feet. 

Compact  blue  clay,  50  to  100  feet,  resting  on  a thin  shell  of 
limestone  resembling  stalactite. 

A gravel  bed,  2 to  8 feet. 

Slate,  (Hamilton)  15  feet. 

Corniferous  Limestone,  40  feet,  surface  wells  found  here. 

Slate,  30  feet. 

Limestone,  40  feet. 

Slate,  3C  feet. 

Corniferous  Limestone,  250  feet;  all  the  oil  found  in  this  horizon. 

Hard  blue  sandstone,  4 feet ; underneath  this  a vein  of  salt 
water,  apparently  inexhaustible. 

At  this  point  commences  the  Onondago  Salt  Group,’^  (a  for- 
mation of  unknown  tliickness  here,)  in  which  is  found  the  salt  of 


THE  PETROLEUM  FIELDS. 


J.  17. 


Syracuse,  and  also  of  Goderich,  on  Lake  Huron.  It  has  been 
penetrated  at  Petrolia,  in  several  places,  to  the  depth  of  live  hun- 
dred feet  without  producing  a barrel  of  oil. 

Tlie  entire  production  of  the  Canada  Oil  Region,  at  present, 
does  not  exceed  2,500  barrels  per  day. 

The  Pennsylvania  Oil  Pegion. 

Two  lines  drawn  through  the  extreme  eastern  and  western 
limits  of  all  known  developments  to  this  date,  are  shown  on  Map 
B,  and  marked  as  the  eastern  and  western  dividing  lines  between 
the  oil  and  the  gas  wells.  These  lines  are  taken  solely  for  the 
object  of  giving  some  shape  and  definite  locality  to  what  is  gen- 
erally known  as  the  Oil  Region,’’  and  include  everything  that 
has  at  present  a claim  to  such  a title. 

They  embrace  a narrow  strip  of  territory  extending  into  Cattar- 
augus county.  New  York,  and  a broad  area  reaching  over  slightly 
into  Ohio,  the  southern  edge  of  which  is  not  yet  fully  defined. 

The  Oil  Regions  of  Ohio  and  West  Virginia.. 

These  Oil  Regions  are  confined  to  two  plainly  marked  belts  of 
geological  disturbance,  (anticlinal,)  shown  on  Maps  A and  B ; one 
extending  from  Newport,  Ohio,  north  through  Washington  and 
Morgan  counties,  and  southward,  in  West  Yirginia,  about  forty 
miles  through  Ritchie,  Wood  and  Wirt  counties,  and  embra- 
cing the  producing  localities  of  Horse-neck,  Sand-Hill,  Volcano, 
(the  principal  point,)  White  Oak  and  Burning  Springs,  and  a 
smaller  belt  a few  miles  to  the  west  of  it. 

The  minimum  width  of  the  belt  is  about  two  and  a half  miles, 
and  the  point  of  greatest  upheaval  is  at  White  Oaks,  at  which 
place  the  strata,  forming  the  western  border  of  the  break,  are 
inclined  at  an  angle  of  60° ; at  Oil  Rock  and  Burning  Springs, 
the  inclination  is  about  20°. 

The  special  peculiarities  of  this  region  may  be  stated  as  fol- 
lows : 

Oil  is  found  in  crevices  at  a certain  fluid  level,  without  the 
slightest  regard  to  the  character  of  the  rock  in  which  the  crev- 
ice may  exist.  Where  a natural  crevice  has  not  been  reached 
by  the  drill,  the  use  of  the  torpedo  seldom  fails  to  open  connec- 
tion with  one. 

J.— 2. 


J.  18. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF 


surface  water  is  found  in  the  wells,  and  often  no  salt  water. 
At  Volcano,  especially,  the  oil  is  pumped  clear,  with  a very  slow 
motion  of  the  walking  heam  not  exceeding  twenty  strokes  per 
minute. 

The  oil  ranges  between  28°  and  40°  Baume,  and  wells  of  all 
gravities  of  oil  are  found  indiscriminately  side  hy  side. 

"While  the  character  of  the  underlying  rocks  of  West  Vir- 
ginia and  Ohio  is  a matter  of  no  value,  so  far  as  the  indication 
of  oil  is  concerned,  the  following  record  of  the  wells  at  Volca- 
co.  West  Virginia,  which  is  the  greatest  producing  point,  may 


he  of  some  interest : 

Conductor,  or  pi]^)e  to  rock, 5 feet. 

Yellow  sand, 45  “ 

Shale, -20‘‘ 

Hard  fine  sand, 14  ‘‘ 

White  shale, - -23‘" 

Dark  sand,  - - 28 

Shale,  - - 60“ 

Gray  and  soft  sand, 66“ 

Shale,  - - 47  “ 

Sand,  - - - - 14“ 

White  sand,  (Surface  water  lost  here,)  - - - 66  “ 

Soft  shelly  sand,  (show  of  oil,)  - - - - 22  “ 

Gray  sand,  - 21“ 

Dark  coarse  sand, 31  “ 

White  sand  and  jiehhle, -19“ 

Sand-rock, 4“ 

Total,  - - 485  “ 


The  total  production  of  the  entire  region,  at  present,  does  not 
exceed  five  hundred  barrels  per  day. 

Kentiichj  and  Tennessee. 

Had  it  been  ordered  that  the  Ohio  river  should  flow  eastward, 
instead  of  AVest  and  South,  it  is  probable  that  Kentucky  and 
Tennessee  would,  to-day,  share  with  rennsylvania  in  the  supply 
of  petroleum  to  commerce. 

All  that  we  know  at  ])resent,  reliably,  about  this  section,  is, 
that  it  has  produced,  from  surface  wells,  enormous  quantities  of* 
oil. 


THE  PETROLEUM  FIELDS. 


J.  19. 


A well  on  Crocus  creek,  in  Cumberland  county,  Kentucky, 
at  a depth  of  191  feet  produced,  for  a time,  300  barrels  per  day. 
The  wells  on  Boyd’s  creek.  Barren  county,  near  Glasgow ; the 
oil  springs  beginning  on  the  Cumberland  river,  and  stretching 
through  north-west  Kentucky,  and  the  wells  in  Overton  county, 
Tennessee,  seem  to  indicate  the  probability  of  a large  produc- 
tion, if  thoroughly  developed. 

The  fact,  however,  of  the  presence  of  sulphur  in  the  oil,  the 
distance  of  the  territory  from  the  great  eastern  centres,  the  ex- 
pense of  transportation  over  a difficult  route,  and  the  ample 
resources  of  Pennsylvania,  have  completely  held  back  operations 
on  a scale  of  any  magnitude. 


THE  PENNSYLVANIA  OIL  REGION. 

Section  2. — Description  of  the  Pennsylvania  Oil  Region  proper^  as 
contained  within  the  lines  drawn  between  the  Oil  and  the  Gas  ivellSy 
with  reference  to  the  known  oil  areas  and  oil  centres  as  defined  on 
Map  B and  the  published  Map. 

In  the  following  description  of  the  separate  localities  in  which 
oil  has  been  found  in  Pennsylvania,  those  places  which  are  well 
known  are  referred  to  under  their  particular  names ; the  out- 
lying and  intermediate  points,  surrounding  and  connecting  the 
great  oil  producing  areas,  are  numbered  on  Map  B,  from  1 to  65„ 
and  mentioned  in  numerical  order  in  the  next  section. 

Tidiouie. 

The  extreme  north-western  terminus  of  the  Pennsylvania  Oi?! 
Kegion  is  the  district  of  Tidioute  and  vicinity,  on  the  Alle- 
gheny river,  in  Deerfield  township,  Warren  county ; it  com- 
prises the  Kew  York  and  Allegheny,  the  Tidioute  and  Warren, 
the  Wallace,  Boyne,  Cleland,  Triumph,  Grove,  Ilallen  and  Den- 
nis Pun  tracts.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  the  Economy 
society  have  a tract  of  twelve  thousand  acres,  upon  wliich  is  lo- 
cated an  oil  area  of  considerable  extent. 

The  first  wells  of  Tidioute,  (among  the  earliest  in  the  region,) 
were  located  upon  the  banks  and-  islands  of  the  river,  and  found 


J.  20. 


LOCAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF  THE 


no  small  quantities  of  oil  at  cleptlis  of  one  liundred  and  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet. 

Subsequent  operations  showed  the  existence  of  this  sand-rock 
under  the  hills  on  either  side,  from  which  the  best  wells  were 
obtained. 

Triumph  City  is  located  on  the  hill  west  of  Tidioute,  at  a 
height  of  592  feet  above  the  river,  and  was  the  centre  of  the 
most  successful  operations  in  1869  and  1870. 

The  first  well  in  Warren  county  was  located  on  Gorman  run, 
one  mile  from  the  river ; it  was  two  and  a half  inches  in  diame- 
ter and  sixty-three  feet  deep.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  oil 
sand-rock  was  found  so  near  the  surface  on  the  river,  a shaft  of 
seven  by  nine  feet  in  section  was  commenced  on  the  river  bank 
in  1865,  by  the  ISTew  York  Enterprise  Mining  Company,  and 
sunk  to  a depth  of  160  feet,  entering  the  third  sand-rock  as 
much  as  thirty  feet. 

A large  amount  of  the  rock  was  removed  and  Ijrought  to  the 
surface,  and  was  found  to  be  an  open  porous  conglomerate  of 
small  pebbles  and  a cementing  matter  of  alumina  and  silica  ; it 
was  rather  friable  when  long  exposed  to  the  air,  and  capable  of 
holding  a large  amount  of  oil. 

A fatal  accident,  caused  by  an  explosion  of  the  accumulated 
gas,  terminated  all  work  on  the  undertaking. 

A well  on  the  island  at  Tidioute,  drilled  to  the  depth  of 
1,000  feet,  failed  to  find  any  sand  below  125  feet  from  the  sur- 
face. 

The  l)est  wells  at  Tidioute  and  Triumph  Hill  have  reached 
400  barrels  per  day,  and  the  thickness  of  the  sand  is  not  fully 
known,  as  operators  were  careful  not  to  pierce  it,  but  went  only 
50  or  60  feet  in  the  rock. 

The  wells  on  the  hill-land  of  the  Economy  tract  opposite  Ti- 
dioute, are  worthy  of  a special  examination ; the  oil  found  in 
these  wells  came  from  a horizon  above  the  river  level,  a totally 
exceptional  case  in  all  the  annals  of  the  oil  region,  and  one  which 
is  so  well  established  as  not  to  i)ermit  of  any  doubt. 

West  ILkkori). 

VV^est  Hickory  is  an  oil  area  directly  south  of  Tidioute,  com- 
prising the  Eagundas,  Tuttle,  Beatty,  Scott  and  other  farms. 


PENNSYLVANIA  OIL  ])ISTR1CTS. 


21. 


A small  amount  of  heavy  oil  of  27°,  not  exceeding  12  or  15 
barrels  per  well,  was  produced  on  West  Hickory  creek,  a short 
distance  above  its  mouth,  on  the  White  farm,  at  a dcjdh  of  400 
feet.  After  this  development  had  ceased,  the  inevitaldc  search 
in  the  north-west  direction,  resulted  in  the  Venture  well  on  the 
Fagundas  farm,  which  at  a depth  of  750  feet,  found  a third 
sand  of  55  feet  in  thickness.  The  territory  of  West  Hickory 
was  defined  from  this  well,  and  in  consideration  of  its  size,  has 
produced  an  unprecedented  amount  of  oil,  from  a well  of  400 
barrels  maximum.  Pipe  lines  from  West  Hickory  lead  to  Ti- 
tusville, and  to  Garland  on  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  railroad. 

New  London, 

ITew  London  is  the  connecting  link  between  Tidioute  and 
Colorado,  and  lies  just  west  of  Tidioute.  It  comprises  the  land 
of  the  !Mew  London  Petroleum  Company  and  the  adjacent 
farms,  and  while  none  of  the  wells  are  very  large,  the  produc- 
tion has  been  steady  and  uniform.  The  thickness  of  the  sand- 
rock  is  from  40  to  55  feet,  at  a depth  of  about  650  feet. 

Colorado. 

Colorado,  lying  between,  Enterprise  and  ISTew  London,  in 
Warren  county,  comprises  the  lands  of  Benson,  Hopins  & Co., 
Jay  and  others.  The  wells  have  been  as  large  as  one  hundred 
and  fifty  barrels  per  day,  and  the  sand-rock  is  found  on  the  flat 
of  a thickness  of  about  forty  feet,  and  at  an  average  depth  of 
525  feet.  From  Enterprise  to  Tidioute,  may  be  found  through 
Colorado  and  Hew  London,  a complete  line  of  wells  centering 
however,  at  the  points  named. 

This  range  of  oil-rock  is  doubtless  far  from  being  fully  deter- 
mined, the  overwhelming  supply  of  the  lower  oil  fields  having 
put  a stop  to  active  developments  for  a time. 

Enterprise, 

Enterprise,  a village  four  miles  east  of  Titusville,  on  Pine 
creek,  Warren  county,  has  a few  scattered  wells,  which  have 
produced  a small  amount  of  oil  for  a long  time,  from  a sand- 
rock  17  to  38  feet  thick,  found  at  a depth  of  about  450  feet. 


J.  22. 


LOCAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF  THE 


As  small  wells  have  almost  always  been  the  ‘‘  avant  couri- 
ers” of  larger  ones,  it  would  not  he  surprising  if  a larger  area  of 
good  sand-rock  were  eventually  found  in  this  vicinity. 

Titusville. 

The  prominence  which  the  striking  of  the  first  well  gave  to 
Titusville,  added  to  the  advantages  of  its  site,  has  been  so  far 
fully  maintained  by  the  enterprise  and  public  spirit  of  its  citi- 
zens. With  pavements,  sewers,  gas,  a splendid  system  of  water 
works,  and  ample  and  elegant  schools,  all  acquired  at  a mode- 
rate cost,  together  with  churches  of  all  prominent  denomina- 
tions, it  is  unquestionably  a desirable  place  of  residence.  The 
Oil  Districts  around  Titusville,  are — 

llie  Watson  Flats.,  and  the  Guild  and  Parker  Flats.,  at  the 
junction  of  Oil  and  Pine  creeks,  which  produced,  together  with 
the  adjoining  lands  of  Kingsland  Oil  Company  and  Original 
Petroleum  Company,  a great  part  of  the  oil  from  1859  to  1864. 

The  Drake  Well  was  located  on  Oil  creek,  on  the  land  now 
owned  by  the  Watson  Petroleum  Company,  ^^ew  York,  a nar- 
row strip  extending  across  Oil  creek,  about  a mile  and  a half 
below  the  tomi.  The  oil  of  the  Drake  well  was  found  not  in  a 
sand-rock,  hut  in  a crevice ; the  well  was  subsequently  drilled 
deeper  and  a first  sand  found  at  150  feet,  10  feet  thick ; a sec- 
ond at  370  feet,  55  feet  thick,  and  no  third  sand  found  at  480, 
or  in  other  wells  adjoining  drilled  to  550  feet.  Within  the  city 
limits  hut  little  oil  has  been  found,  and  none  whatever  of  any 
moment  on  Oil  creek  north  of  it. 

A well  was  drilled  by  !Mr.  Jonathan  Watson,  in  the  city,  at 
the  foot  of  the  hills  on  the  north  side,  to  the  depth  of  2,114  feet, 
for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  existence  of  any  oil  pro- 
ducing sand  below  that  found  on  the  creek.  This  work  will 
undou]>tedly  prove  of  great  value  in  further  investigation  of  the 
strata,  and  is  shown  in  the  section  on  Map  B. 

Ckurcli  llun  is  a separate  oil  area,  north  of  Titusville,  com- 
prising the  Cadwallader,  Weed,  Kerr,  M’Guire,  Atlantic  and 
Great  Western,  Barnsdall  and  otlier  farms;  the  sand-rock  here 
docs  not  seem  to  occupy  (piite  the  same  geological  horizon  as 
that  1‘ound  on  the  fiats  below  the  city,  a circumstance  wliich 
subsequent  examination  may  disprove  or  explain. 


PENNSYLVANIA  OIL  DISTRICTS. 


J.  28. 


Tlic  wells  on  Church  Eiin,  while  never  exceeding  300  barrels, 
jiave  produced  a great  deal  of  oil,  and  are  very  lasting;  the 
sand-rock  being  from  60  to  75  feet  in  thickness,  and  found  on 
the  run  at  a depth  of  480  feet. 

The  Octave  District^  comprising  the  Hyde,  Curry  and  other 
farms,  is  a continuation  of  the  sand-rock  of  Oil  Creek  below 
Titusville,  in  the  usual  course  to  the  south-west.  The  wells  are 
small  but  durable,  and  the  general  depression  in  oil  matters  has 
prevented  the  extent  of  this  area  from  being  fully  defined. 

The  sand-rock  is  from  fifty  to  seventy  feet  in  thickness,  and 
is  found  at  a depth  of  about  875  feet. 

Miller  Fann  is  a shipping  station  of  some  importance,  six 
•miles  south  of  Titusville,  on  Oil  Creek,  and  is  the  location  of 
a considerable  amount  of  iron  tankage. 

Some  oil  was  obtained  in  1864,  from  shallow  wells  in  the  first 
sands,  (possibly  from  a surface  drainage  from  the  wells  north  of 
it,)  but  the  quantity  was  inconsiderable. 

Pleasantville^diVL  aptly  named  town  in  Venango  county,  lies  at 
the  head  of  the  great  stretch  of  sand-rock  that  terminates  at 
Cherry-tree  E-un. 

The  land,  in  this  vicinity,  is  too  much  sub-divided  for  general 
mention,  the  original  owners  being  Brown  Bros.,  Mitchell,  Bene- 
dict, Dunham  and  others. 

The  highest  point  of  land  in  Venango  county,  1,762  feet 
above  ocean  level,  lies  just  east  of  the  town. 

National  Wells^  on  West  Pit-hole  creek,  is  the  nucleus  of  a 
district  lying  within  the  great  stretch  just  mentioned,  and  was 
a pioneer  of  operations  in  this  section,  having  been  struck  in 
1866  ; the  third  sand  is  found  about  fifteen  feet  thick,  at  a depth 
of  745  feet  on  the  run. 

The  wells  do  not  exceed  thirty  barrels,  but  from  the  extent 
of  the  rock,  and  the  care  exercised  in  pumping  and  drilling,  the 
amount  produced  has  been  considerable. 

West  Fit-hole. — A small  area  of  sand-rock  under  the  Paxton, 
Keech,  Ilydrick  and  Turner  farms,  in  Allegheny  township,  Ve- 
'nango  county. 

Wells  on  Paxton  farm  find  the  sand  at  730  feet — fourteen 
feet  thick. 


J.  24. 


LOCAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF  THE 


Shamhurg. 

Shamburg,  Oil  Creek  townsbip,  Venango  county,  a noted  oil 
centre,  now  nearly  exhausted,  was  first  brought  into  notice  by  a 
well  on"  Cherry”  run,  on  the  land  of  the  Pittsburg  and  Cherry 
Pun  Petroleum  Company. 

The  prominent  farms  of  Shamhurg  are  the  Atkinson,  Tail- 
man,  Clark,  Fleming,  King,  Dearborn,  Bennehofl’,  Goss  and 
Stowell. 

The  sand-rock,  on  the  run,  is  found  at  a depth  of  775  feet,, 
and  is  from  60  to  75  feet  thick. 

While  the  largest  wells  of  this  section  did  not  reach  500  bar- 
rels, there  probably  was  no  locality  found  which  has  contained 
so  many  good  wells.  The  price  of  oil  also,  during  the  time  of 
its  development,  was  such  as  to  bring  a large  return. 

The  following  record  of  well  Ko.  12,  on  the  land  of  the  Pitts- 
burg company,  is  so  minute  and  accurate  as  to  possess  an  espe- 
cial value. 

38  feet  of  driving  pipe.  ^ 

At  38  feet,  a soft  slate  rock. 

At  70  feet,  first  sand-rock. 

At  71  feet,  water  crevice. 

At  91  to  112  feet,  crevices. 

At  130  feet,  bottom  of  fine  white  sand-rock  60  feet  thick. 

At  132  feet,  gray  sand-rock  bluish  cast. 

At  152  feet,  bottom  of  same,  20  feet  thick. 

At  153  feet,  slate  rock,  good  drilling  to  245  feet. 

At  245  to  256  feet,  hard  dark  slate  and  sand  to  278  feet. 

At  278  feet,  hard  pebble  sand  shell  18  inches  thick. 

At  280  to  289  feet,  hard  gray  sand  and  slate. 

At  289  feet,  second  sand-rock  hard  pebble,  11  feet  thick. 

At  300  feet,  sand  bluish  cast,  white  pebbles,  5 J feet  thick. 

At  305  J feet,  gray  and  white  shells  for  29  J feet. 

At  338  to  440  feet,  blue  sandy  rock,  mixed  with  slate. 

At  420  to  480  feet,  blue  and  red  rock  alternate. 

( At  505  feet,  hard  blue  rock  shell  15  feet  thick. 

At  520  feet,  third  sand  very  hard,  white  and  yellow  pebbles,, 
10  feet  thick. 

At  530  feet,  mud  vein. 


PENNSYLVANTA  OIL  DISTRICT. 


J.  25. 


At  545  feet,  tlirougli  third  sand  25  feet  thick,  two  crevices 
and  gas  very  strong. 

At  545  to  575  feet,  blue  sand  and  slate  to  605  feet. 

At  608  feet,  hard  shell  2 feet  thick. 

At  610  to  636  feet,  blue  slate. 

At  636  feet,  hard  white  sand,  mixed  with  pebble,  hard  shell,, 
4 to  5 feet  thick. 

At  640  feet,  top  of  fourth  sand. 

At  648  to  654  feet,  hard  pebble. 

At  654  feet,  large  gas  vein  and  show  of  oil. 

At  655  feet,  bad  mud  vein. 

At  668  feet,  through  fourth  sand  28  feet  6 inches  thick. 

At  745  feet,  slate,  hard  shell,  6 inches  thick. 

At  745  to  748,  hard  slate. 

At  748  feet,  hard  shell,  yellow  pebble  and  good  gas  vein.  , 

At  750  feet,  slate  rock. 

At  768  feet,  slate  and  hard  shells. 

At  776  feet,  top  of  fifth  sand. 

At  776  to  778  feet,  pebble  rock,  open  and  porous. 

At  778  feet,  crevice,  gas  vein  and  good  show  of  oil. 

At  781  feet,  rock  becomes  darker. 

At  783  feet,  dark  rock,  gassy. 

At  784  feet,  porous  rock. 

At  792  feet,  white  and  yellow  pebble,  crevice,  oil  and  gas.,. 

At  794  feet,  white  rock,  coarse  and  porous. 

At  806  feet,  mud  vein. 

At  828  to  830  feet,  white  and  yellow  pebble. 

At  830  feet,  hard  close  white  sand. 

At  834  feet,  slate  and  sand  mixed. 

At  835  feet,  bottom  of  the  well. 

A marked  peculiarity  of  the  great  stretch  -of  oil-rock,  of 
which  Shamburg  forms  a part,  and  one  which  deserves  future 
examination,  is  the  existence  of  black  and  green  oil,  so  called, 
side  by  side  in  the  same  territory,  so  that  the  surface  line  be- 
tween the  two  classes  of  wells  can  be  sharply  defined. 

Red  Hot^  a suburb  of  Shamburg,  on  the  land  of  Independent 
Oil  Company  and  vicinity,  lies  between  Shamburg  and  the  E’a- 
tional  wells.  A stranger  visiting  the  locality  and  traveling 
through  the  unbroken  line  of  derricks  from  Shamburg  to  Pleas- 


J.  26. 


LOCAL  GEOGRAPHY  OP  THE 


antville,  would  hardly  be  able  to  identify  these  separate  places. 
The  sand  rock  is  simply  an  extension  of  that  underlying  Sham- 
burg. 

Fit-hole. 

Pit-hole,  Allegheu}^  township,  Yenango  county,  comprises  the 
territory  on  Pit-hole  creek,  included  in  the  Ilolmden,  Morey, 
Blackmer,  Porker,  Ilyner,  Copeland,  M’Kinney,  Ball,  Dawson, 
Blank  and  other  farms. 

The  area  of  this  sand-rock,  although  unusually  prolific,  was 
small  in  comparison  with  the  beds  lately  discovered.  The  Fra- 
zier and  Grant  wells  on  the  Ilolmden  farm,  fiowing  at  the  rate 
of  700  and  450  barrels  per  day,  gave  a great  impetus  to  the  de- 
velopment, and  the  price  of  oil  at  the  time,  furnished  the  means 
for  so  much  extravagant  expenditure,  that  it  may  be  safely 
stated  that  no  oil  in  the  region  was  ever  obtained  at  an  equal 
cost.  A city  of  ten  thousand  inhabitants,  with  all  the  concomi- 
tants of  vice,  luxury  and  piety,  started  into  life  in  a few  months 
and  hiding  with  the  decline  of  the  territory  within  a year,  was 
so  nearly  obliterated  by  fire  and  bodily  removal,  that  scarcely  a 
vestige  remains  to-day.  An  example  so  striking  and  so  extreme 
cannot  probably  be  found  elsewhere. 

The  sand-rock  on  the  fiats  of  Pit-hole  creek,  is  here  found  at 
a depth  of  over  600  feet,  and  but  from  14  to  20  feet  thick. 

Cash  Up.)  a small  sand-rock  on  the  Iluidekoper  farm  and  the 
edges  of  adjoining  tracts,  about  two  miles  north-east  of  Ifit-hole. 
Although  of  not  very  great  extent,  it  nevertheless  was  remarka- 
ble for  its  production ; the  first  well,  which  was  drilled  to  an 
upper  sand-rock  with  a small  production,  being  subsequently 
purchased  by  some  old  operators,  who,  on  drilling  deeper,  ob- 
tained a well  flowing  1,100  barrels  per  day. 

Bean  Farm.)  including  the  Golden  farm  and  several  smaller 
tracts,  lies  east  of  Ifieasantville  and  north  of  Ifit-liole,  in  Alle- 
gheny township,  Venango  county.  The  wells  were  small  and 
proportionately  lasting. 

Bull  Run  and  Cow  Run.,  Oil  Creek  township,  Venango  county. 
The  mouth  of  Bull  run,  which  is  a deep  gorge  from  ofi  Oil 
creek  between  two  hills,  is  covered  l)y  the  fifty  acres  ot  the  Farel 
farm,  upon  which,  at  the  mouth  of  the  run,  the  famous  Koble 
well  flowed  to  the  extent  of  2,500  barrels  per  day ; the  Patter- 


PENNSYLVANIA  OIL  DISTIilCT. 


J.  27. 


son  farm  and  land  of  the  Caldwell  Oil  Company  span  the  bal- 
ance of  the  run,  and  the  land  of  the  Clinton  Oil  Company  like- 
wise encloses  Cow  run  adjacent  to  the  north,  nearly  all  of  which 
is  underlaid  with  a good  producing  sand-rock.  The  sand-rock 
is  a continuation  of  the  sand-rock  of  Oil  creek. 

Petroleuw.  Centre. 

The  first  success  of  any  magnitude  at  this  well  known  place, 
was  upon  the  Hyde  and  Egbert  farm,  a triangular  flat  at  the 
base  of  the  M’Cray  hill,  which  a few  years  afterwards  was  also 
successfully  developed. 

The  Maple  Shade  and  the  Coquette  wells  are  so  familiar  as  to 
need  no  further  mention  than  that  their  production  was  from 
400  to  500  barrels  per  day. 

The  town  itself  is  situated  on  the  land  of  the  Central  Petro- 
leum Company,  a great  part  of  which  has  been  found  produc- 
tive. The  Woods,  Pearson,  Claremont  and  other  farms,  extend- 
ing over  the  hill  to  Cherrytree  run,  have  all  been  found  to  over- 
lie  at  950  feet,  a fine  bed  of  oil  sand-rock  45  feet  thick,  which, 
however,  stops  precipitately  at  the  run. 

Benneholf  run  and  hill.  Pioneer  run,  the  Upper  and  Lower 
M’Elheny  farms  and  M’Cray  hill,  are  all  suburbs  of  the  Centre, 
and  have  in  their  time  been  great  producing  localities.  The 
sand-rock  at  the  Centre,  is  found  on  the  flats  at  a depth  of  475 
feet  and  is  about  40  feet  thick.  On  the  adjacent  hills,  the  depth 
is  correspondingly  increased. 

Columbia  Oil  Company.,  (Story  Farm.) 

The  Story  Farm  deserves  special  mention,  not  only  for  the 
success  accorded  to  its  development,  but  from  the  excellence  of 
its  management. 

On  500  acres  of  land  there  have  been  drilled  over  180  wells, 
producing  nearly  one  millions  barrels  of  oil,  and  paying  divi- 
dends to  the  stockholders  of  the  company  to  the  amount  of 
nearly  three  millions  of  dollars,  over  all  expenses,  within  a pe- 
riod of  less  than  ten  years. 

The  territory  is  now  exhausted,  but  the  record  of  the  work 
remains  as  a permanent  example  of  what  the  careful  manage- 
ment of  oil  territory  can  accomplish.  The  sand-rock  here  is 


J.  28. 


LOCAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF  THE 


found  at  480  feet,  and  of  the  same  thickness  as  at  Petroleum 
Centre. 

Bloody  Rynd  and  Tarr  farms,  on  Oil  creek,  between  Petroleum 
Centre  and  Rouseville,  are  well  known  as  land  marks  in  the 
early  stages  of  the  oil  excitement. 

The  famous  Blood  well  of  1,000  barrels  per  day,  and  the  Phil- 
lips well  on  the  Tarr  farm,  which  flowed  by  actual  measure- 
ment, in  twenty-four  hours,  3,940  barrels,  and  produced  over 
500,000  barrels  of  oil,  together  with  the  Woodford  and  other 
wells  indicated  the  richness  of  the  underlying  rock.  The  sand- 
rock  is  from  38  to  58  feet  in  thickness  at  the  usual  depth  of  Oil 
creek  rock. 

Rouseville. 

Rouseville,  an  oil  town  formerly  of  over  3,500  inhabitants, 
is  situated  on  Oil  creek,  at  the  mouth  of  Cherry  run.  The  bed 
of  sand-rock,  which  is  almost  continuous  from  Petroleum  Centre 
to  Oil  City,  extends  up  Cherry  run  for  about  two  miles.  The 
four  Reed  wells  on  the  Criswell  tract,  located  on  a single  acre, 
produced  upwards  of  100,000  barrels  of  oil ; the  most  prominent 
of  the  farms  on  Cherry  run  above  Rouseville  are  the  Union  Pe- 
troleum Company,  the  Mingo  Oil  Company,  the  Brevoort  and 
the  Smith  farm.  The  third  sand  is  from  27  to  42  feet  in  thick- 
ness, and  is  found  at  a depth  of  550  feet,  somewhat  greater  than 
Oil  creek,  on  account  of  the  rise  of  the  run. 

The  M Clintock.,  Steele.,  Buchanan  and  Clapp  farms  lie  between 
Rouseville  and  Oil  City,  and  have  all  been  good  producing 
farms,  but  are  substantially  described  by  those  which  have  just 
preceded. 

With  a few  lingering  exceptions,  the  valley  of  Oil  Creek,  as 
an  oil  producing  district,  is  rapidly  becoming  a thing  of  the 
past ; its  demise  was,  no  doubt,  accelerated  by  the  transfer  of 
capital  and  energy  to  the  more  ]:)rolific  flelds  of  Butler  county. 
With  many  the  l^elief  is  strong  that  1‘uturc  enterprise  will  clear 
out  its  water-logged  sand-rocks,  and  And  a fresh  su])i)ly  of  the 
product,  l)ut  at  present  many  of  its  mushroom  towns  are  to- 
tally obliterated  ; such  ])uildings  as  were  not  destroyed  by  Are, 
have  been  carted  bodily  away.  Waving  grain  and  gardens  oc- 
cupy the  richer  flat  land  that  teemed  with  the  wild  excitement 
of  1865,  and  cover  the  rusty  nozzles  of  the  driving  pipes. 


l’I']NNSYLVANIA  OIL  DLSTRICT. 


J.  29. 


And  yet  when  wo  roinciiiber  that  Oil  creek,  within  this  lengtli 
of  twenty  miles,  has  produced  over  one  hundred  and,  ten  million 
dollars  worth  of  oil  from  an  actual  area  of  less  than  three  s([uare 
miles,  mined  with  a most  appalling  waste,  it  is  doubtful  if  any 
portion  of  the  earth’s  surface  has  ever  given  to  man  an  equal 
return  for  his  labor. 

Oil  City. 

Oil  City^  while  possessing  an  admirable  location  which,  in  the 
future,  as  in  the  case  of  Pittsburg,  may  be  the  means  of  over- 
coming all  present  obstacles,  still  labors  under  natural  disadvan- 
tages, so  far  as  the  expansion  of  the  city  is  concerned.  These 
have  been  met  by  her  citizens  with  unusual  courage,  persever- 
ance and  liberality.  The  city  long  since  surmounted  the  steep 
hills  which  enclose  it,  and  crowned  them  with  good  streets  and 
pleasant  homes,  and  it  has  also  included  the  town  of  Yenango, 
upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  Allegheny  river,  consolidating 
the  connection  by  means  of  two  substantial  bridges. 

There  seems  to  be  two  stages  in  the  life  of  all  minino:  towns ; 
the  first,  when  buildings  of  rough  lumber  are  hastily  thrown 
together  on  the  surface  of  the  ground,  merely  to  accommodate 
present  urgent  need,  and  when  the  country  depends,  to  use  a 
forcible  but  homely  expression,  entirely  ‘‘  on  greenbacks  and 
ten-penny  nails.” 

The  second  is,  when  the  ravages  of  fire,  a sure  visitor  of  such 
places,  are  replaced  with  substantial  buildings  of  stone,  brick 
and  iron.  A town  which  survives  the  first  stage,  and  passes  into 
the  second,  possesses  some  certain  elements  of  durability. 

The  substantial  improvements  of  Oil  City  are  all  the  more 
remarkable  from  the  unusual  natural  difficulties  with  which  it 
was  necessary  to  contend.  Along  the  creek,  and  tlie  river  fiats 
on  both  sides,  in  the  vicinity  of  Oil  City,  good  fair  producing 
wells  have  been  found ; the  third  sand  having  an  average  depth 
of  about  475  feet,  and  being  from  20  to  55  feet  in  thickness. 

Stand  Off  City^  or  Shaw  farm,  lies  between  Oil  City  and 
Cherry  Pun,  on  the  summit  of  the  hill ; the  sand-rock  being  a 
continuation  of  that  from  the  creek,  andfrom  20  to  57  feet  thick. 

Charley  Run  and  Shaffer  Run  are  small  streams  entering  the 
Allegheny,  and  the  creek,  within  the  limits  of  Oil  City ; from 


J.  30. 


LOCAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF  THE 


these  two  runs  a stretch  of  sand-rock  is  found,  extending  over 
to  E^eno  on  the  river. 

JReno. 

The  town  of  Eeno  was  a hold  attempt  on  the  part  of  Mr.  C. 
V.  Culver,  to  divert  the  trade  of  the  upper  Oil  Eegion  to  a point 
on  the  Allegheny  river  possessing  greater  natural  advantages 
than  Oil  City.  ♦ 

For  this  purpose  a railroad  was  constructed,  at  an  enormous 
expense,  from  Pit-hole  to  Eeno  over  the  hills ; the  town  of  Eeno 
lying  upon  a beautiful  slope  on  the  north  hank  of  the  river, 
was  built  as  its  terminus,  and  furnished  at  once  with  a hand- 
some station,  hotel  and  all  the  improvements  and  facilities  of  a 
long  established  place. 

That  the  enterprise  miscarried  is  due,  doubtless,  more  to  the 
financial  crash  of  1865,  than  to  any  other  cause. 

The  continuation  of  the  sand-rock  of  Charley  run,  on  the  Eeno 
lands,  in  1867,  has  given  some  prosperity  to  the  place.  The- 
sand-rock  is  found,  on  the  river,  at  a depth  of  about  500  feet, 
and  the  territory  being  unusually  well  managed,  has  been  pro- 
portionately lasting. 

Walnut  Bend^  on  the  Allegheny  river  above  Oil  City,  over- 
lies  a bed  of  sand-rock  which  was  operated  to  some  extent  in 
1865. 

Sage  Run^  which  empties  into  the  Allegheny  river  opposite 
Oil  City,  is  the  commencement  of  a stretch  of  sand-rock  which 
begins  at  a point  on  the  run,  one  and  a half  miles  from  the  river, 
and  extends  westward  beyond  the  head  of  the  run,  over  the  hills 
of  Cranberry  township,  V enango  county,  including  the  Sands^ 
Schwartz  and  other  farms,  and  terminating  in  an  oil  town  of 
short  life  known  as  Predinshurg,  a few  miles  south-west  of  Oil 
City.  The  wells  have  produced  as  much  as  300  barrels  each  per 
day,  and  the  sand-rock  is  found  from  900  to  1,100  leet  from 
the  surface,  and  from  18  to  20  feet  in  thickness. 

The  railway  of  the  Cranberry  Coal  Company,  whose  exten- 
sive lands  lie  to  the  south-east  of  Oil  City,  and  their  coal  on  the 
summit  of  tlie  hills,  follows  the  general  course  of  tlie  run. 

Franklin. 

The  wells  of  Franklin  and  Sugar  creek,  which,  with  the  wells 
of  Smith’s  ferry, Ohio, and  Sli])pcry  Eock  creek,  Lawrence  county,. 


PENNSYLVANIA  OIL  DISTIUCT. 


J.  31. 


Pennsylvania,  mark  tlie  extreme  north-western  boundary  of  tlic 
actual  producing  district,  find  their  oil  in  the  u])i)crmost  oil- 
producing  sand-rock  on  the  great  slope  from  the  north-west. 

Future  investigation  will  perhaps  connect  this  with  the  fact, 
that  all  three  of  these  places  produce  heavy  oil.  The  sand-rock 
is  found  at  a depth  of  260  feet,  beneath  the  flat,  is  geologically 
higher  than  that  of  Oil  City,  and  is  from  50  to  80  feet  in  thick- 
ness. The  gravity  of  the  oil  ranges  from  30°  to  32°,  and  the 
largest  producing  well  has  attained  150  barrels  per  day. 

The  territory  extends  over  to  Two  Mile  run,  and  includes  the 
lands  of  George  P.  Smith,  M’Calmont,  Fee  and  others. 

Franklin,  the  county  seat  of  Venango  county,  (the  site  of  old 
Foil;  Venango,)  a substantial  city  of  7,000  inhabitants,  is  so  in- 
terwoven with  the  earliest  history  of  our  State,  that  it  needs  iie 
repetition  here. 

Foster^  on  the  Allegheny  river  below  Franklin,  overlies  a 
small  detached  bed  of  sand-rock,  situated  in  the  general  sweep 
of  the  oil  bearing  areas  north-east  and  south-west  from  PenO' 
and  Petroleum  Centre.  It  comprises  the  Foster,  Miller  alid 
Bonsall  tracts,  lying  on  both  sides  the  river.  The  third  sand  is 
found  at  610  feet,  and  is  from  12  to  14  feet  thick. 

Bully  Hill. — This  territory  was  one  of  the  discoveries  atten- 
dant on  the  belt  line  of  Mr.  C.  D.  Angell,  heretofore  mentioned 
it  lies  upon  the  hill  between  Franklin  and  Foster,  and  com- 
prises the  Stroman  and  other  farms. 

Scrub  Grass.,  on  the  Allegheny  river,  opposite  the  mouth  of 
Scrub  Grass  creek,  is  also  an  isolated  territory  over  a small  bed 
of  sand-rock.  The  development  here  was  the  result  of  large 
purchases  of  land  by  the  Philadelphia  and  Boston  Petroleum 
Company.  The  producing  area  includes  Belle  island,  the  M’- 
Millen  and  other  farms.  The  depth  of  the  sand-rock  on  the 
river  is  615  feet,  and  its  thickness  from  18  to  20  feet. 

East  Sandy. 

East  Sandy  lies  upon  the  extreme  south-eastern  edge  of  the- 
present  oil  development,  and  is  the  only  connecting  link,  at 
present,  between  the  upper  and  lower  oil  fields.  It  comprises 
the  land  of  East  Sandy  Lloyd  Oil  Company,  Montgomery  Oil 


J.  32. 


LOCAL  GEOGRAPHY  OP  THE 


Company,  and  others,  and  is  situated  on  East  Sandy  creek,  in 
Eockland  township,  Yenango  county. 

Gas  City  is  the  name  of  the  settlement  which  forms  the  cen- 
tre of  operations,  and  takes  its  name  from  the  great  gas  veins 
which  occur  in  all  the  wells  here.  The  sand-rock  has  a thick- 
ness of  sixty  feet,  and  is  found  at  a depth  of  850  feet. 

The  Burning  w^ell  of  East  Sandy  was  situated  in  Pine  Grove 
township,  between  main  Sandy  creek  and  the  branches  of  the 
same,  it  was  drilled  in  1866  850  feet  to  the  third  sand,  when 
a mud  vein  was ' found,  and  the  tools  stuck.  The  out-pouring 
of  gas  was  so  great,  that  from  carelessness  it  soon  took  fire  and 
burned  a long  time. 

The  Lower  Oil  Fields. 

We  come  now  to  the  great  Lower  Oil  Belt,  a term  in  this 
case  not  misapplied,  beginning  at  Triangle  City,  on  Beaver 
creek.  Clarion  county,  and  terminating  for  the  present,  at  St. 
Joe,  in  Butler  county,  in  length  twenty-one  miles. 

It  would  seem  desirable  that  any  statement  concerning  this 
remarkable  producing  area,  the  greatest  found  so  far,  and  in  all 
probability  the  greatest  that  ever  will  be,  that  it  should  be  made 
only  after  the  fullest  and  most  thorough  collation  of  every  detail 
of  facts  which  can  possibly  bear  upon  it.  But  there  will  be  no 
attemi^  made  in  this  report,  to  go  beyond  the  citation  of  such 
facts  as  are  too  well  known  to  be  questioned  and  are  essential 
to  explain  the  connection  of  the  salient  features  of  this  region 
with  the  Upper  Oil  region,  concerning  which  we  have  fuller  in- 
formation. 

A sand-rock  found  at  Brady’s  Bend  in  1866,  at  the  depth  of 
1,100  feet,  with  some  oil,  gave  rise  to  a further  investigation  of 
the  river  above,  and  resulted  in  the  discovery  of  a sand-rock  of 
57  feet,  at  a depth  of  960  feet  on  the  river  at  I’arker’s  Landing 
in  1868.  It  was  not  until  1870  that  the  search  for  the  limits 
of  this  sand-rock  on  the  north-east  and  south-Avest  line,  extended 
it  to  the  hills  at  Lawreiicel)urg,  back  of  Parker’s,  and  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Clarion  river. 

Tlie  Ijend  in  the  belt  as  now  defined,  and  which  Avill  be  ob- 
served on  the  maps,  caused  no  small  amount  of  “ wild  catting,” 
and  some  fortunate  delay ; the  belt  when  once  found  however, 


I’i'IN'NSYL VANIA  OIL  DISTRICT. 


J.  33. 


soon  worked  back  to  the  starting  i^oiiit ; owing  to  the 
height  of  the  hills,  a number  of  wells  which  were  supposed  to 
be  failures,  were  afterwards  drilled  to  the  pro])cr  depth  with 
great  results.  On  the  north-cast,  1/etersburg,  Antwerp,  Turkey 
City  and  Beaver  Creek,  were  successively  embraced  within  the 
limits  of  the  belt,  and  on  the  south-west,  Petrolia,  Karns  City 
and  Millerstowii. 

After  leaving  Karns  City,  the  belt  seems  to  divide  into  two 
well  deiined  and  separate  beds,  known  as  the  East  and  West 
belts,  one  of  which  has  been  prolonged  to  St.  Joe. 

The  entire  width  of  this  great  stretch  of  rock  does  not  exceed 
three  miles,  and  to  the  fact  of  so  vastly  productive  an  area  being 
found  continuous,  instead  of  in  detached  spots  as  in  the  Upper 
Kegion,  the  rapid  development  is  due. 

The  sand-rock  dips  so  rapidly  after  leaving  Scrub  Grass,  that 
many  of  the  wells  of  this  section  are  as  much  as  1,600  feet  in 
depth  ; if  these  are  drilled  without  loss  at  the  present  prices  of 
oil,  we  may  safely  set  it  down  as  a fact  which  will  have  no 
small  bearing  on  the  future,  that  the  maximum  depth  at  which 
a sand-rock  can  be  profitably  found,  is  yet  an  unknown  quantity. 

That  part  of  the  great  belt  lying  east  of  the  river,  yielding  the 
greater  part  of  its  production  from  wells  of  moderate  size,  has 
shared  to  some  extent  in  the  lull  which  the  great  spouters  of 
Butler  county  brought  upon  the  balance  of  the  region.  Should 
the  price  of  oil  appreciate  or  the  production  of  the  south  end 
fall  oft*,  we  may  look  for  further  operations  in  this  direction. 

Some  idea  of  the  relative  position  of  the  sand-rock  along  the 
belt  from  the  upper  end  southward,  may  be  obtained  from  the 
following  data : 

At  Turkey  City,  sand  on  flat  at  1,150,  20  feet  thick. 

Ocean  Level  of  Pump  Station,  Turkey  City,  1,179  feet. 

St.  Petersburg,  Fountain  well,  1,241  feet,  26  feet  of  sand. 

. Blanchard  & Siggins’  well,  D.  Pitt’s  farm,  1,063  feet,  26  feet 
of  sand. 

Eddinger  farm,  St.  Petersburg,  1,150  feet,  sand  24  feet. 

Peter  King  farm,  Kitchey  run,  1,000  feet,  23  feet  of  sand. 

Casino  well,  Parker’s  Landing,  1,065,  36  feet  of  sand. 

Murray  well,  J.  Marshall  farm,  Parker’s,  1,027,  30  feet  of  sand. 
J.— 3. 


J.  34. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  LOCATION  OF 


Bear  creek,  above  the  mouth,  1,170  feet,  33  feet  of  sand. 

Karns  City,  Ocean  Level,  1,230  feet. 

Third  sand  found  at  1,440 ; fourth  sand  at  1,535. 

Third  sand,  about  26  feet  thick. 

Modoc  wells,  1,450,  sand  12  to  15  feet  thick. 

William  Moore  farm,  two  miles  south  of  Karns  City,  sand 
at  1,560  feet. 

Armstrong  run,  near  Brady’s  Bend,  at  1,263  feet,  7J  feet  in 
third  sand. 

Wells  at  Millerstown,  average  depth,  1,550  to  sand. 

On  James  M’Cready  farm,  three  and  a half  miles  south-west 
of  Millerstown,  1,530  feet  to  sand. 


Section  3. — The  Description  of  the  Outlying  Points  that  have  been 
Tested,  numbered  on  Map  B from  1 to  65. 

Between  the  main  beds  of  sand  rock  which  are  the  great  cen- 
tres of  development,  and  to  the  north-west  and  south-east  of  the 
range  of  productive  oil  areas,  there  are  isolated  localities  which 
have  been  explored  to  a greater  or  less  extent  and  which-are  par- 
ticularly valuable  for  completing  our  conception  of  the  general 
situation  of  the  oil  bearing  strata. 

The  most  prominent  of  these  are  given  below,  simply  with  the 
expectation  that  they  will  serve  as  guides  to  point  the  way  to 
further  and  closer  investigation.  Tliey  are  numbered  on  Map  B 
from  1 to  65,  the  description  given  containing  only  such  portions 
of  tlie  information  as  could  be  obtained  at  present  and  deemed 
perfectly  reliable. 

No.  1.  Heavy  oil  at  a depth  of  150  feet,  near  Lowell,  Mahoning 
county,  Ohio.  Well  afterwards  sunk  to  a depth  of  900  feet,  and 
gas  obtained,  but  no  oil. 

No.  2.  Slippery  Bock  Creek,  above  Wurtemburg,  Lawrence 
count}^,  Pennsylvania ; a number  of  good  producing  wells,  some 
as  large  as  fifty  barrels,  but  not  lasting,  the  oil  was  of  heavy 
gravity. 

No.  3.  Oil  Spring  Reservation,  Oil  Creek,  Allegheny  county, 
New  York  ; tliis  locality  has  been  long  known  for  its  surface  oil. 

No.  4.  A well  at  Limestone,  Cattaraugus  county,  New  York, 
in  March,  1872,  produced  for  a short  time  some  oil  ol  15°  grav- 


OUTLYING  OIL  DISTRICTS. 


J.  35. 


ity  ; this  well  was  1,050  feet  deep,  had  much  gas,  and  yielded 
at  first  about  live  barrels  per  day. 

No.  5.  Wells  on  Cow  run,  near  Marietta,  Ohio.  These  wells 
are  on  the  main  belt  of  anticlinal  in  the  Ohio  oil  region,  and  are 
about  450  feet  in  depth. 

No.  G.  Wells  on  Duck  creek,  Washington  county,  Ohio;  a part 
of  the  same  belt  just  mentioned. 

No.  7.  Well  at  Utica,  French  creek,  Venango  county;  seven 
barrels  per  day  of  heavy^oil. 

No.  8.  Gras  well  at  Leechburg,  on  the  Kiskeminitis  river,  seven 
miles  above  its  mouth ; this  well  is  1,200  feet  deep,  produces  no 
oil,  but  an  enormous  amount  of  gas  which  is  used  as  fuel  by 
manufactories.  The  oil  springs  on  the  Kiskeminitis  were  known 
to  the  oldest  inhabitants. 

There  is  also  a gas  well  at  Crooked  creek,  near  South  Bend, 
Armstrong  county,  not  indicated  on  the  map. 

No.  9.  Tarentum,  on  the  Allegheny  river,  above  Pittsburg;  the 
salt  wells  at  this  point,  which  descend  to  a depth  of  450  feet, 
have  always  found  more  or  less  Petroleum  within  350  feet  of 
the  surface.  Some  of  these  wells  have  been  drilled  exclusively 
for  oil  and  have  produced  from  eight  to  ten  barrels  per  day. 
The  oil  separates  by  the  subsidence  of  the  brine  and  does  not 
impart  any  flavor  to  it. 

No.  10.  Wells  on  Hosmer  run,  on  lands  of  the  Atlas  oil  com- 
pany and  others,  near  Garland,  in  AVarren  county ; found  an 
amount  of  oil  at  a depth  of  500  feet,  which  would  indicate  the  ex- 
istence of  a larger  bed  of  sand-rock  in  the  vicinity ; for  some 
reasons  all  operation  has  ceased  for  several  years. 

No.  11.  Edinburg,  Lawrence  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  Ma- 
honing river.  A 10  barrel  well  260  feet  deep.  No  sand-rock  is 
found  until  a depth  of  100  feet  is  reached.  In  1861,  the  Straw- 
bridge  well  on  the  Mahoning  river,  produced  15  barrels  a day 
for  some  time.  Heavy  oil. 

No.  12. 

No.  13.  Gas  well  at  Meadville,  Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania. 
Six  feet  of  sand  found  at  350  feet.  No  other  sand,  more  than  a, 
few  inches  in  thickness,  had  been  found  at  1,000  feet. 


J,  36. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  LOCATION  OF 


N(5.  14.  Well  on  Stewart’s  Run,  Venango  county.  Gas,  of  150 
lbs.  pressure,  struck  at  150  feet  in  the  second  sand.  Third  sand 
not  found  at  825  feet. 

No.  15.  Coal  on  Cherry  Run,  one  and  a-half  miles  above  Plu- 
mer,  Venango  county,  on  the  Eagle  farm,  75  feet  above  the  bed 
of  the  creek. 

No.  16.  The  Gas  Wells  of  Erie,  Pa.,  vary  in  depth  from  450  to 
1,200  feet.  That  of  Mr.  Doming,  at  the  planing  mill  between 
Peach  and  State  streets,  found  it  at  453  feet.  The  average  depth 
is  generally  about  600  feet.  The  depths  at  which  gas  is  sup- 
posed to  be  found  in  a body,  is  often  subject  to  a great  deal  of 
uncertainty  and  question.  Anything  so  penetrating  and  of  so 
light  a density  as  gas  from  hydrocarbons  will  not,  of  course,  be 
confined  to  fixed  horizons ; the  gas  of  a very  shallow  well  may 
rise  through  a natural  crevice  from  a much  lower  point.  Well 
of  Fortuna  Oil  Company,  French  street,  585  feet,  small  amount  of 
heavy  oil  28°.,  Jareki  and  Company,  2 wells,  one  1,200,  one  700 
feet  deep.  Breviliier’s  well,  625  feet,  has  been  running  five 
years.  Conrad’s  brewery  600  feet.  There  are,  in  all,  about  27 
wells  drilled  for  gas  in  Erie. 

No.  17.  Middlesex,  Mercer  county.  Pa.  A small  well  of  heavy 
oil  at  the  saw  mill  between  Middlesex  and  Pulaski,  on  Erie  and 
Pittsburg  railroad. 

No.  18.  Well  on  Little  Scrub  Grass  creek,  Butler  county,  near 
Anderson’s  mills,  at  a depth  of  1,000  feet  found  a third  sand,  and 
penetrated  to  the  depth  of  30  feet. 

No.  19.  Newell’s  Run,  Washington  county,  Ohio.  Well  on  the 
land  of  Robert  Routand,  below  the  mouth  of  the  run,  5 barrels, 
525  feet  deep.  Well  on  land  of  J.  B.  Kiggins,  10  barrels,  236 
feet  deep.  These  wells  are  on  the  main  Ohio  anticlinal  belt  be- 
fore mentioned. 

No.  20.  Coal  bed  at  Kinzua  creek,  near  its  mouth,  twelve  miles 
up  the  Allegheny  river  from  Warren,  Pa.  The  bed  lies  between 
600  and  700  638”)  feet  above  the  river,  and  is  described  as 

1‘ollows: — Cannel  coal  4 feet;  fire-clay  below  it  7 feet;  bitumin- 
ous coal  below  this  4 feet. 

No.  21.  Coal  in  Cherry  Grove  township,  Warren  county. 

No.  22.  Bradford,  M’Kean  county.  Pa.  4’ho  conglomerate  here 
is  found  on  the  hill-tops,  with  some  fine  exposures,  and  a small 


OUTLYING  OIL  DISTRICTS. 


J.  37. 


amount  of  oil  and  gas  is  found  in  a few  wells  in  the  valley,  whose 
record,  if  preserved,  would  be  interesting. 

No.  23.  Heavy  oil  at  Mecca,  Trumbull  county,  Ohio.  Shallow 
wells  and  quantity  limited. 

No.  24.  Bully  Hill  District,  south  of  Franklin,  Pa.  The  sand- 
rock  here  is  25  feet  in  thickness.  Painter  Well,  Pope  farm,  100 
barrels,  the  other  farms  are  the  Ryle,  Stroman,  Wise,  Miller,  Gra- 
ham and  Holstein. 

No.  25.  Coal  at  Millerstown,  found  near  the  tops  of  the  hills 
at  an  elevation  of  about  240  feet  above  the  river. 

No.  26.  Well  on  Thorn  creek,  two  miles  west  of  Saxonburg, 
Butler  county,  claimed  to  have  produced  for  a short  time,  a con- 
siderable quantity  of  oil. 

No.  27.  Well  of  Brown  & Co.,  Jennings  Ralston  farm.  Sugar 
creek,  Venango  county,  above  Cooperstown,  660  feet  deep,  8 bar- 
rels of  oil  per  day. 

No.  28. 

No.  29.  Gas  well  at  Corry,  Pa.,  950  feet  deep. 

No.  30. 

No.  31. 

No.  32.  Heavy  oil  in  a well  at  Wilcox,  Elk  county.  Pa.,  at  a 
depth  of  1,691  feet. 

No.  33.  Conglomerate  outcrop,  North  Rocks,  near  Warren,  Pa., 
between  Ackley  and  Hatch  Run  Glade  township ; conglomerate 
40  to  50  feet  thick,  fine  exposure,  rests  on  slate,  is  covered  with 
disintegrated  sand-rock. 

No.  34.  Well  at  Glean,  Allegheny  county.  New  York;  depth 
of  well  785  feet;  first  sand  at  300  feet ; second  sand  at  450  feet ; 
third  sand  at  780  feet;  third  sand-rock  being  very  thin,  some  oil, 
much  gas. 

No.  35.  Designates  the  situation  of  the  heavy  oil  district  of 
West  Hickory;  small  wells,  about  20  barrels  found  in  an  upper 
sand,  and  before  referred  to. 

No.  36.  Smith’s  Ferry,  Ohio,  is  just  over  the  State  line,  and 
some  of  the  production  is  within  the  State  of  Pennsylvania ; the 
oil  produced  is  heavy  oil,  27°  to  33°  gravity.  The  wells  lie 
mostly  on  the  road  between  Smith’s  Ferry,  Ohio,  and  Ohioville, 
Pa.,  and  the  average  production  of  each  well,  is  from  25  to  90 


J.  38. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  LOCATION  OF 


barrels  per  week.  The  production  of  the  entire  distridt  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1869,  was  250  barrels  per  day. 

No.  37.  Well  on  Winter^s  farm,  Troy  township,  Crawford  county  > 
Pa , on  Big  Sugar  creek,  one  and  a half  miles  from  the  Diamond^ 
ten  miles  west  of  Titusville.  A good  sand  was  found  at  600  feet 
56  feet  thick,  drilled  to  1,670,  but  found  no  oil ; torpedoed  at  600? 
feet,  small  amount  of  oil  obtained. 

No.  38.  Gas  well,  three  miles  north-east  of  East  Sandy  Oil  dis- 
trict ; a good  sand-rock  of  42  feet,  much  gas,  no  oil ; one-half 
mile  east  of  this,  another  similar  well. 

No.  39.  Gas  well,  half  way  between  Gas  City  and  Lineville. 

No.  40.  Trace  of  oil  in  a well  on  Hiram  Heath  farm.  Hickory 
township,  Forest  county. 

No.  41.  The  Neioton  Gas  well,  on  the  A.  H.  Nelson  farm,  five 
miles  north  of  Titusville,  is  786  feet  deep  to  a third  sand,  and  im- 
mediately upon  its  completion,  it  began  to  discharge  an  immense 
volume  of  gas;  the  three-inch  pipe  from  the  well  was  divided 
into  seven  two-inch  jets,  one  of  which  was  sufficient  to  run  the 
engine  with  an  indicated  pressure  of  75  pounds  to  the  square 
inch,  the  other  six  being  left  open  ; a measurement  of  the  entire 
production  gave  the  amount  of  four  millions  of  cubic  feet  per  day. 
Lines  of  pipe  were  laid  from  this  well  to  Titusville,  and  have  sup- 
plied light  and  fuel  to  a great  number  of  dwellings  and  manufac- 
tories. The  greatest  objections  to  the  use  of  natural  gas,  are  its 
impurities  and  the  pulsations  of  the  pressure,  rendering  it  diffi- 
cult to  regulate  its  use.  It  would  seem,  however,  that  the  latter 
could  be  easily  remedied. 

No.  42.  Octave  district,  Hyde  farm  and  vicinity,  near  Titus- 
ville, sand-rock  50  feet ; Abbott  and  OTIare  tract,  wells  890  feet. 

No.  43.  The  Drake  Well,  four  and  a half  indies  in  diameter, 
the  first  in  the  oil  region,  was  found  in  a surface  sand  at  a depth 
of  71  feet ; the  well  was  subsequently  drilled  to  the  depth  of  480 
feet,  but  never  afterwards  produced  much  oil. 

No.  44.  Walbridge  Farm,  Sugar  creek,  Venango  county;  sand- 
rock,  25  feet.  Smith  Well,  Ware  farm.  Lake  branch  of  Sugar 
creek,  five  barrels  per  day  of  42^^  oil,  at  750  feet. 

No.  45.  Johnson  Farm,  Raymilton,  Venango  county;  Ray- 
mond Well,  930  feet  deep,  eight  barrels  per  day. 


OUTLYlNCj  OIL  DISTRICTS. 


J.  39. 


No.  40.  Cowansliannock  Well,  on  Portage  creek,  above  Em- 
porium, Cameron  county.  Pa.;  no  oil,  groat  quantity  of  gas. 

No.  47.  The  gas  well  at  Fredonia,  Chautauqua  county.  New 
York  ; the  record  of  this  well  is  given  in  the  remarks  upon  the 
section  on  Map  B. 

No.  48.  Gas  wells  of  Neff  and  Ward  at  Niles,  Ohio. 

No.  49.  Gas  well  of  J.  H.  Casement,  at  Painesville,  Ohio. 
Record  as  follows:  Drift  clay  and  gravel,  40  feet;  Erie  shales 
and  soapstone,  648  feet ; Huron  shale,  very  black  and  bituminous, 
with  strong  smell  of  oil,  12  feet;  total  depth,  720  feet.  Gas 
found  in  the  Erie  shales. 

No.  50.  Rock  City,  Allegheny  county.  New  York ; a fine  expo- 
sure of  conglomerate  well  known. 

No.  51.  Small  show  of  oil  on  Bly son’s  Run,  in  Little  Toby, 
Elarion  county.  Pa. 

No.  52.  Greene  county.  Pa.;  Yance  well  on  Little  Whitely 
creek.  Maple  farm,  near  Dunkard  creek ; 150  feet  deep. 

No.  53.  An  exposure  of  conglomerate  at  Panama,  New  York, 
on  both  sides  of  Little  Broken  Straw  creek ; also  known  as 
^‘Rock  City.” 

No.  54.  Gas  well  at  Howeville,  Tionesta  township.  Forest 
county. 

No.  55.  White  Oak,  West  Virginia.  Oil  from  26^^  to  28'^; 
gravity  found  from  80  to  380  feet;  Sand-hill  is  two  and  one-half 
miles  north-west  of  White  Oak  ; at  a surface  distance  of  300  feet; 
the  same  gravity  of  oil  is  found  in  one  well  at  300  feet  and  an- 
other at  600  feet ; in  one  well  a lubricating  oil  of  a yellow  color 
is  found  at  300  feet. 

No.  56.  A salt  spring  at  the  head  of  Sugar  creek,  Crawford 
county,  which  has  yielded  a considerable  quantity  of  salt.  The 
water  not  being  very  strongly  impregnated  with  saline  matter, 
a well  was  sunk  to  the  depth  of  300  feet,  but  instead  of  yielding 
strong  brine,  oil  was  obtained  in  small  quantities,  and  mixing 
with  the  salt  water  rendered  it  valueless. 

No.  57.  Groce  Farm,  Clarion  county,  between  Clarion  and 
Shippenville ; small  well  700  feet  deep. 

No.  58. 

No.  59. 


J.  40.  GEOGRAPHICAL  LOCATION  OF  OUTLYING  OIL  DISTRICTS. 

No.  60.  Sage  Ruiij  near  Oil  City.  Hill  wells  from  800  to  1,100 
feet ; sand-rock  GO  feet  thick. 

No.  61.  Wells  on  Dunkard’s  creek,  Greene  county,  Pa. 

No.  62.  Well  at  Panama,  Chautauqua  county,  New  York,  550 
feet  deep  ; six  feet  in  the  second  sand.  A surface  sand  found  at  - 
^14  feet,  75  feet  thick.  A first  sand  found  at  461  feet,  30  feet 
thick. 

No.  63.  Jamison  farm,  Allegheny  river,  above  Tionesta.  Well 
240  feet  deep,  sand  13  feet  thick,  small  production  of  48°  oil.  The 
well  drilled  550  feet,  but  no  more  sand  found. 

No.  64. 

No.  65.  Five  or  six  wells  on  Kinzua  creek,  Warren  county,, 
near  the  Allegheny  river. 


THE  CEOLOCHCAL  I’LACE  OF  I'ENNSYLVANl A J’ETROLEIJM.  .i . 4 L 


CTTAPTER  III. 

GEOLOGY  OF  PETROLEUM. 

The  prominent  fads  concerning  the  relative  situation  of  the  horizon 

of  the  oil  hearing  sand-rock^  illustrated  hy  a section  accompany- 
ing Map  Lake  Erie  to  the  Ohio  river. 

Tlie  knowledge  of  the  strata  underlying  Western  Pennsylvania 
may  he  obtained  in  two  ways : 

First.  By  observing  the  long  and  continuous  outcrops  exposed 
on  the  hill  slopes  above  water  level.  These  are  seen  to  be  not 
perfectly  horizontal,  but  to  sink  steadily  and  slowly  as  we  go 
southward  and  westward ; (a  formation  which  crops  out  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  will  be  found  at  a great  depth  in  Pennsyl- 
vania.) 

Second.  From  the  records  of  artesian  borings,  when  duly  con- 
nected with  accurate  levels  of  the  surface. 

The  outcrops  visible  along  the  shore  of  Lake  Erie  will,  of 
course,  underlie  any  outcrops  found  south  of  that  point,  and  the 
records  of  the  wells  drilled  on  the  shore  of  the  Lake,  will  fur- 
nish us  with  the  character  of  the  yet  lower  formation. 

While  the  precise  location  of  the  horizon,  at  which  our  Penn- 
sylvania oil  is  found,  can  only  be  determined  by  an  examination 
of  its  entire  area,  a few  deductions  from  such  prominent  facts 
as  are  not  likely  to  be  seriously  affected  by  future  work,  will  be  of 
value  in  obtaining  some  idea  of  the  nature  of  the  search  re- 
quired. 

It  is  particularly  desirable  to  convey  to  the  mind  of  the  reader, 
an  accurate  impression  of  the  relative  size  and  location  upon  the 
surface,  of  such  areas  as  outline  the  oil  bearing  rocks  below,  and 
these  are  defined  on  Map  B.  It  will  be  observed  that  these  spots 
are  isolated  and  disconnected,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the 
stretch  of  the  great  lower  oil  fields,  do  not  comprise  any  continu- 
ous belt. 

To  present  this  more  clearly,  it  may  be  stated  that  out  of  3,115 
square  miles  of  land  in  Pennsylvania,  embracing  everything 
which,  by  general  acceptance,  can  be  denominated  as  the  oil  re- 
gion, only  39 J square  miles  have  actually  produced  oil ; that  is 


J.  42. 


THE  GEOLOGICAL  PLACE  OF 


to  say,  all  the  territory  that  now  is,  or  has  been  producing,could 
be  contained  in  an  area  of  25,000  acres. 

Whether  the  component  materials  or  the  great  body  of  this 
oil  exist  in  the*  sand-rock  where  it  is  found,  or  at  a depth  beyond 
the  present  reach  of  the  drill,  is  a question  of  scientific  interest, 
but  not  of  direct  importance.  What  we  are  searching  for  to- 
day, is  the  location  of  the  vent  holes  by  which  this  oil  reaches 
within  drilling  distance  of  the  surface  of  the  earth,  whether  such 
vent  hole  consists  of  an  open  sand-rock  or  sponge  as  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, or  of  an  anticlinal  or  system  of  broken  rocks  as  in  West 
Virginia. 

From  the  fact,  that  coal  and  similar  minerals  are  mined  in  con- 
tinuous beds,  stretching  often  over  counties  and  States,  it  would 
be  natural  to  suppose  that  the  sand-rocks  of  the  separate  oil  dis- 
tricts are  connected  in  the  same  way. 

The  extent  of  the  beds  of  the  upper  sand-rocks,  near  the  sur- 
face of  the  earth,  is  so  much  greater  than  that  of  the  oil  bearing 
rock,  that  the  proposition  is  substantially  true  so  far  as  they  are 
concerned,  with  the  exception  that  they  are  not  found  at  a posi- 
tively uniform  horizon,  but  overlap  and  underlie  each  other  at 
the  edges. 

A well  drilled  anywhere  in  the  region,  will  find  a first  sand, 
and  sometimes  a second  and  invariably  some  mountain  sands,  as 
they  are  called,  are  found  even  above  these,  but  no  productive 
sand-rock  has  been  found  on  tlie  horizon  of  the  third  or  oil  pro- 
ducing sand,  except  where  indicated  on  the  map. 

Oil  has  been  found  in  small  quantities  in  tlie  first  and  second 
sand-rocks,  in  detaclied  spots,  and  from  the  earliest  wells,  but  the 
])ulk  of  the  product  has  been  detained  from  the  third  sand.  From 
the  means  within  reach  at  present  for  defining  the  position  of  this 
Tock,  tliere  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  it  is  situated  approxi- 
mately throughout  the  region  under  consideration  on  the  same 
geological  horizon. 

A producing  spot  in  the  Pennsylvania  region,  (as  defined  on 
Map  B,)  is  an  area  overlying,  from  500  to  1,500  feet,  a bed  of 
porous  conglomerate  from  three  to  seventy-five  feet  in  tliickness, 
the  thickest  part  of  the  rock  giving  the  best  well,  and  this  thick- 
est part  being  generally  found  in  the  centre  of  the  area,  the  rock 
.tapering  off  at  the  edges. 


PENNSYL V A NI A PETROLEUM. 


J.  43. 


When  a 'svcll  is  drilled  in  an  untried  locality,  and  the  tliird  sand- 
rock  found  of  any  thickness,  whether  witli  much  or  little  oil,  this 
well  is  followed  by  others  situated  in  dilfercnt  directions  from  it, 
until  the  thickest  part  of  the  sand-rock  is  discovered  and  a good 
well  is  the  rcsvdt  and  it  is  not  long  before  the  edge,  wliere  the  rock 
thins  outj  can  be  mapped  on  the  surface  of  the  ground  above  it. 

There  is,  therefore,  within  reach  of  the  drill,  no  continuous  bed 
of  oil  bearing  sand-rock,  but  a series  of  scattered  disc-shaped  de- 
posits Avhose  outline  and  situation  so  far  as  discovered  are  indi- 
cated on  Map  B.  These  separate  and  detached  beds  of  third 
sand-rock  are  lens-shaped,  being  thin  at  the  edges  as  before 
stated. 

The  use  of  the  term  oil  belt,  has  led  to  some  misconception ; 
lines  Avhich  Avere  run  across  the  surface  of  the  country  for  many 
miles  in  courses  varying  from  north  14°  east  to  north  22°  east, 
have  been  found  to  intersect  the  surface  directly  over  these  pro- 
ducing beds  of  third  sand,  but  in  sep  rate  places  and  Avidely  apart. 
The  value  of  this  discovery  is  doubtless  confined  to  the  extent  of 
the  conformity  of  these  lines  Avith  the  general  course  of  the  cur- 
rent which  transported  the  material  to  form  the  deposit. 

The  Section  on  Map  B, 

For  the  purpose  of  locating  the  relative  horizons  of  the  oil- 
bearing sands,  from  our  present  knoAvledge,  a profile  section  has 
been  made  extending  through  the  length  of  the  oil  region  from 
Lake  Erie  to  the  Ohio  river. 

In  presenting  this  outline  of  the  underlying  strata  of  the  oil 
country,  it  is  essential  that  such  a section  can  only  state  such 
general  points  as  may  be  deduced  broadly  but  still  A\dthout  ques- 
tion, in  the  present  state  of  our  knoAvledge  from  an  extended  \heAV 
of  the  Avhole  area  involved. 

Except  so  far  as  they  present  the  main  features,  it  is  not  de- 
sired that  they  should  be  considered  final  and  ccnclusive. 

In  the  profile  given  from  the  Ohio  riA^er  to  Lake  Erie  Ave  liaA^e 
simply  the  line  of  the  oil  bearing  sand-rock  located  at  tAventy- 
five  different  places,  from  a careful  a\^erage  of  a number  of  Avells 
at  each  place,  and  the  heiglit  of  eacli  place  aboA^e  tideAvater 
also,  three  horizons  of  the  coal  measures,  Avith  termini  at  Avell- 
knoAvn  places. 


J.  44. 


THE  GEOLOGICAL  PLACE  OF 


The  alignment  begins  at  Marietta,  on  the  Ohio  river,  follow- 
ing np  the  Ohio  to  Pittsburg,  thence  up  the  Allegheny  to  the 
mouth  of  Oil  creek,  up  Oil  creek  to  Titusville,  and  thence  by 
levels  of  Dunkirk,  Allegheny  Valley  and  Pittsburg  railroad,  over 
the  ridge  to  Dunkirk,  on  Lake  Erie. 

The  points  given  in  the  section  would  seem  to  prove  that  all 
the  oil  sand-rocks  of  the  region,  even  if  they  be  disconnected  and 
scattered  through  the  strata  at  irregular  distances,  lie  at  about 
the  same  general  geological  horizon. 

In  the  gas  wells  shown  upon  the  section  the  position  of  the 
sands  found  has  been  omitted,  not  only  to  distinguish  and  sepa- 
rate them  readily  from  the  oil  producing  wells,  but  because  the 
sands  found  in  them  so  far  as  known  were  light  and  inconsider- 
able. 

In  the  record  of  the  Fredonia  gas  well,  near  Lake  Erie,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  section,  we  notice  an  entire  absence  of  sand- 
rock.  The  outcrop  of  the  lowest  oil  conglomerate  mustbe  sought 
for  on  the  surface  before  reaching  tlie  shore  of  Lake  Erie. 

The  record  of  the  well  is  as  follows : 

50  Black  shale,  50  feet. 

80  Gray  shales,  30  feet. 

Black  shale,  with  some  gas  and  no  water,  ) . r , 

200  Alternate  black  and  gray  sliales,  [ 

500  Soapstone,  with  occasional  hard  shales,  300  feet.  Gas  ob- 
tained here. 

800  Black  and  gray  shales,  alternate,  300  feet. 

1,050  Gray  shale,  250  feet. 

1,250  Limestone,  200  feet,  and  drill  not  through  it. 

• The  lowest  sand-rock,  therefore,  as  yet  reported  by  any  oil 
driller,  is  in  the  deep  well  of  iMr.  Jonathan  Watson,  which  was 
drilled  on  the  flat,  in  the  City  of  Titusville,  at  a point  1,195  feet 
above  sea-level,  and  in  which  a sand  twenty  feet  tliick  and  con- 
taining some  green  oil,  was  said  to  have  been  passed  through  at 
a depth  of  1,970  feet.  This  sand  was  described  as  a white  pebble 
conglomerate  similar  in  every  respect  to  the  ordinary  third  sand. 

The  next  highest  sand-rock  found,  is  the  reported  third  sand 
of  Watson’s  deep  well,  at  a depth  of  1,507  feet  from  the  surface, 
which  probably  corresponds  in  horizon  with  that  in  the  gas  well  ;it 
Corry,  and  tho  wells  on  the  Tunaunguant  creek,  near  Limestone 


PKNNS  YL  V A NI A 1M<:TR(  ) LICUM. 


J.45. 


village,  N.  Y.  The  well  at  Liiiiestoiio  being  situated  to  tlie  east, 
and  that  of  Cony  to  the  west  of  our  alignineiit,  would  make 
the  horizons  at  those  places  respectively  higher  and  lower  as 
the  section  shows. 

In  the  absence  of  further  detail  at  present,  concerning  the 
operations  in  the  extreme  northern  part  of  the  oil  field,  the  few 
fixcts  which  could  be  relied  upon,  are  chietfy  valuable,  as  links  to 
connect  other  more  important  data. 

We  come  now  to  the  lowest  third  sand  of  the  oil  region  pro- 
per, which  is  found  at  Tidioute,  at  a depth  of  140  feet  below  the 
first  bench  on  the  river,  but  not  at  a corresponding  depth  under 
the  hills  on  either  side.  The  sand-rock  there  if  it  be  the  same, 
it  considerably  higher,  but  when  penetrated,  in  the  hopes  of  find- 
ing the  river  sand,  only  knocked  the  bottom  out  of  the  well.” 

No  small  amount  of  oil  has  been  produced  from  a first  sand  at 
Tidioute,  which  is  found  on  the  river  at  a depth  of  less  than  100 
feet.  On  the  river  bank  of  the  Economy  tract,  a well  Avas  struck 
in  a crevice  at  99J  feet  in  18G1,  which  produced  oil  steadily  for 
a period  of  eight  years.  Four  other  producing  Avells  in  the  au- 
cinity  were  not  over  150  feet  in  depth. 

From  Enterprise  and  Titusville  to  Oil  City,  the  third  sand, 
Avhich  is  found  in  the  tAYo  placed  mentioned  at  an  average  depth 
of  450  feet,  follows  nearly  the  fall  of  the  Avater-shed,  being  found 
at  Oil  City  at  a depth  of  475  feet  and  along  Oil  Creek  almost  uni- 
formly between  these  points. 

At  Petroleum  Centre  there  appears  to  be  a similar  deviation, 
and  also  at  Church  Pun,  near  Titus\ulle,  Avhich  a closer  investi- 
gation may  explain. 

Surface  oil  has,  likeAvise,  been  found  in  the  first  and  second 
sand-rocks  on  Oil  Creek.  The  Brake  Avell,  the  first  drilled  for 
oil,  found  the  sand  at  71  feet,  and  produced,  for  some  time,  25 
barrels  per  day. 

Some  Avells  at  Miller  farm  also  found  oil,  for  a short  time,  at 
225  feet,  in  Avhat  Avas  probably  a split  first  sand.  Both  of  these 
points  are  shoAvn  on  the  section. 

The  fall  of  the  sand-rock  progresses  uniformly  through  inter- 
vening sections,  until  Ave  reach  Scrub  Grass,  on  the  Allegheny 
river.  Here  the  alignment  of  our  section,  to  preserA^e  its  accu- 


J.  46.  THE  GEOLOGICAL  PLACE  OF  PENNSYI.VANIA  PETROLEUM. 

racy,  must  be  transferred  bodily  eastward,  until  we  strike  tbe 
line  of  the  great  lower  oil  belt. 

We  find  here,  that  while  the  oil-bearing  sands  on  Beaver  creek 
are  also  apparently  uniform  in  general  horizon  with  the  dip  or 
fall  we  have  had  north  of  them,  yet  from  this  point  southward 
along  the  belt  the  dip  is  much  more  rapid,  so  much  so,  that  with- 
out the  fortunate  coincidence  of  the  lowest  line  of  water-shed 
with  the  direction  of  the  development,  the  wells  would,  before 
this,  have  attained  a very  undesirable  depth. 

The  explanation  of  the  phenomenon  of  a fourth  sand,  as  it  is 
called,  which  is  found  on  the  cross  belt  from  Armstrong  Bun  to 
Greece  City,  and  its  precise  geological  location,  would  neces- 
sarily require  the  closest  research.  Whether  it  is  a separate 
sand-rock  deposited  by  a cross-current  on  a lower  horizon,  or 
whether  it  is  only  a divided  third  sand  is  yet  a matter  of  ques- 
tion. 

We  find  the  formation  immediately  above  it,  almost  identical 
with  that  above  the  third  sand  of  the  grand  belt.  A thin  hard 
shell  which  caps  it,  is  found  in  a similar  position  at  Millerstown. 
The  levels  taken  so  far,  seem  to  indicate  that  it  occupies  the  same 
position  as  the  third  sand. 

The  fourth  sand,  at  Karns  City,  is  twenty-five  feet  tliick,  of  a 
red  and  yellow  color,  and  lies  about  seventy  feet  below  that 
known  as  the  third  sand. 


PRODUCTION  OF  THE  PENNSYLVANIA  OIL  WELLS.  J.  47. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  ECONOMICS  OF  PETROLEUAI. 


Section  1. — Statistics  of  production  ^ cost  and  proceeds  of  the  product 
f rom  the  beginning  to  date — the  net  earnings  of  the  entire  region. 

During  the  fifteen  years  which  have' passed  since  the  striking 
of  the  Drake  well,  the  Pennsylvania  Oil  Region  has  produced  up 
to  January  1,  1875,  sixty-seven  millions  seven  hundred  thousand 
barrels  of  oil,  which  brought  at  the  wells,  the  sum  of  two  hundred 
and  thirty-five  millions  five  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Of  this 
amount,  3,200,000  barrels  are  stored  to-day  in  the  tanks  of  the 
Oil  Region. 

The  following  table  of  production,  price  and  export,  will  show 
more  fully  the  progress  of  the  business  from  year  to  year : 


YEAR. 

Production 
in  barrels. 

Average  1 
price  for 
the  year. 

Amount. 

Barrels  ex- 
por’d  crude, 
equivalent. 

Crude,  value 
of  export  at 
the  M^ells. 

1859. . . . 

3,200 

31  cts.  gal. 

$41,664  00 

1860 

650, 000 

16  “ 

4,368,000  00 

1861. . . . 

2, 113, 600 

$2  73  bbl. 

5,770,128  00 

27,  812 

$75,926  76: 

1862. . . . 

3, 056, 606 

1 68  “ 

5, 135, 098  08 

272, 192 

457,282  5(1 

1863. . . . 

2,611,359 

3 99 

10,419,322  41 

706, 268 

2,818,009  32, 

1864.... 

2, 116, 182 

9 66  “ 

20,442,318  12 

796,  824 

7,697,319  84 

1865. . . . 

3, 497, 712 

6 57  “ 

22,979,967  84 

745, 138 

4,  895,  556  6d 

1866. . . . 

3, 597, 527 

3 73  “ 

13,418,775  71 

1,685,761 

6, 287, 888  53 

1867. . . . 

3, 347, 306 

3 18  “ 

i 10,644,433  08 

1,676,  300 

5,330,634  00 

1868. . . . 

3,715,741 

4 15  “ 

15.420,325  15 

2, 429,  498 

10,082,416  70 

1869. . . . 

4,215,000 

5 85  “ 

24,657,750  00 

2,568,713 

1.5,026,971  05 

1870. . . . 

5, 659, 000 

3 80  “ 

21,-504,200  00 

3,  5.30, 068 

13,414,2.58  70 

1871. . . . 

5, 795, 000 

4 35  “ 

25, 208, 250  00 

3, 890,  326 

16,922,918  10 

1872. . . . 

6, 539, 103 

3 75  “ 

24,521,6.36  25 

4, 276, 660 

16,037,475  00 

1873. . . . 

9, 879, 455 

1 84  “ 

18, 178, 197  20 

4,981,441 

9, 165,851  44 

1871. . . . 

10, 910, 303 

1 17  “ 

12,765,054  51 

4,903, 970 

1 .5,737,644  98 

1 67, 707, 094 

3 48  bbl. 

i 235, 475, 120  35 

1 32,490,971 

113,9.50,153  2(> 

Total  production,  67,707,094  barrels;  average  price,  $3  48 ; total  value  of  yield 
at  wells,  $235,475,120  35  ; total  amount  exported,  32,490,971  barrels  ; total  value 
at  wells  of  crude  oil  exported,  $113,950,153  26. 


The  refining  of  this  oil  at  a cost  of  two  dollars  per  barrel,  on 
seventy-five  per  cent,  of  the  total  amount,  makes  an  additional 
value  of  over  one  hundred  millions. 

There  has  been  exported  a crude  equivalent  of  thirty-two  and 
a half  millions  of  barrels,  the  value  of  which,  at  the  wells,  with- 


J.  48. 


PEODUCTION  OF  THE 


out  refining,  freight  or  handling,  was  one  hundred  and  fourteen 
millions  of  dollars. 

The  freight  on  forty  millions  of  barrels  to  the  seaboard,  at  an 
average  of  $2  50  per  barrel,  would  amount  to  one  hundred  mil- 
lions. So  that  the  value  received  from  abroad  for  the  export, 
would  exceed  at  a minimum  estimate,  the  sum  of  two  hundred 
and  sixty  millions  of  dollars. 

The  total  number  of  wells  drilled  in  the  region  from  the  start 
to  January  1,  1869,  on  or  near  actual  producing  territory,  was 
5,560;  the  amount  of  oil  produced  up  to  January  1,  1869,  was 
something  less  than  25,700,000  barrels,  giving  the  entire  average 
IDroduction  of  each  well  at  nearly  4,600  barrels.  The  amount 
realized  for  oil  up  to  January  1,  1869,  gave  an  average  of  $4  06 
per  barrel,  or  $18,700  for  each  well. 

From  that  time  forward  until  the  present,  the  outline  of  the 
underlying  strata  being  better  understood  and  defined,  and  the 
failures  proportionately  less,  the  figures  are  as  follows : 

In  1869,  there  were  drilled  ....  991  wells. 


1,007 

946 

1,032 

530 

433 


In  1870, 
In  1871, 
In  1872, 
In  1873, 
In  1874, 


*Total  from  1869  to  1874,  inclusive,  - - 4,939 

At  round  numbers,  five  thousand  wells  have  been  drilled  since 
January  1,  1869,  producing  forty-two  millions  of  barrels,  at  an 
average  price  of  $2  91,  giving  a production  to  each  well  of  8,400 
barrels,  and  a gross  earning  of  $24,500.  Of  tlie  10,500  wells  that 
have  been  drilled  on  or  near  actual  ])roducing  territory,  3,250  are 
pumping  to-day,  with  an  average  j)roduction  of  less  than  ten 
barrels  eacli. 

It  will  be  seen  that  during  tlie  last  six  years,  Ave  liavc  nearly 
doubled  tlie  average  entire  production  of  a well,  Avith  but  a sliglit 
increase  in  gross  revenue.  It  will  also  be  observed,  that  three 
liundred  A\mlls  drilled  before  January  I,  187 1,  are  pumping  to-day. 

Making  a fair  alloAvance  for  Avells  recently  started,  avo  shall 
have  the  aAmrage  life  of  a Avell  at  a little  over  tAVO  and  one-half 

*This  ostiiiiiito  of  wolls  <lrillo(l,  is  exclusive  outiroly  of  those  bored  on  out- 
side uou-produciiij^  territory. 


PENNSVLV'ANfA  OIL  WELLS. 


J.  49. 


years.  The  annexed  table  and  diagram  are  given  to  illustrate 
this  point. 

If  tlio  cost  of  drilling  the  5^500  wells  up  to  January  1,  1^09, 
■was  $4,000  each,  the  cost  of  drilling  was  $22,240,000.  If  the 
cost  of  drilling  the  5,000  wells  since  January  1,  18G9,  was  $6,000 
each,  the  cost  of  drilling  was  $30,000,000.  Assuming  8,000  wells 
to  have  been  a success,  and  to  have  averaged  a life  ot  two  years 
each,  at  a cost  of  $10  per  day  for  all  expenses  and  shut  downs, 
the  cost  of  pumping  would  be  $58,400,000. 

The  cost  of  39J  square  miles  of  actual  producing  territory, 
.25,280  acres  at  $500  per  acre,  $12,640,000.  The  Petroleum  ac- 
count, therefore,  of  the  actual  producing  territory  only,  taking- 
no  account  of  failures  or  outside  operations,  is  as  follows : 

Total  amount  received  at  wells,  to  Jan.  1,  1875,  $235,475,120 

‘Cost  of  drilling,  ....  $52,240,000 

Cost  of  pumping,  ....  58,400,000 

Cost  of  territory,  ....  12,640,000 


Profit, 


123,280,000 

112,195,120 


235,475,120  235,475,120 


The  net  profit,  therefore,  of  producing  67,700,000  barrels  of  oil, 
was  $112,200,000,  or  $1  67  cents  per  barrel.  If  it  were  possi- 
ble to  include  in  any  statement  of  this  kind,  the  amount  expended 
in  wild  catting^^  and  speculation,  it  is  doubtful  if  the  net  profit 
would  amount  to  $1  per  barrel. 

Much  more  information  of  interest  can  be  deduced  from  the 
tables  given,  but  it  is  better  that  the  estimates  should  be  made 
rby  the  parties  who  seek  it.  One  further  instance  only  will  bo 
given. 

We  received  in  1874  for  our  oil  at  the  wells,  $12,765,000 
We  paid  for  drilling  433  wells  @ $5,000,  - $2,160,000 

We  paid  for  pumping  3,300  wells,  $5  ^ day,  5,940,000 

' We  have  increased  our  stock  of  crude  on 

hand,  1,400,000  barrels,  @ $1  17,  - 2,380,000 


Balance, 


2,285,000 


J.  4. 


12,765,000  12,765,000 


J.  50. 


METHOD,  TOOLS,  &C., 


Section  2. — The  method  of  drilUng  and  jmrnping  loells.  Illustrated 

by  Plate  A. 

Before  our  time,  the  art  of  drilling  artesian  wells  had  attained 
a degree  of  perfection  which  was  considered  remarkable ; the 
tools  of  the  famous  well  at  Grenelle  in  France,  which  were 
thought  worthy  of  minute  description  in  the  standard  works  of 
reference  at  the  time,  are  to-day  little  else  than  objects  of  cu- 
riosity. 

The  driller  of  the  Drake  well,  with  a set  of  tools  which  he 
could  almost  carry  on  his  shoulder,  slowly  making  his  way 
through  the  first  seventy  feet  of  sand-rock,  and  the  driller  of  to- 
day making  no  account  of  fifteen  hundred  feet  and  a six  inch  hole, 
with  drilling  tools  weighing  over  two  tons,  Avill  servo  to  indi- 
cate comparative!}^  the  advance  that  has  been  made  in  the  art  of 
artesian  boring.  It  suggests  the  thought  that  where  so  much 
has  been  accom])lished,  the  maximum  limit  of  depth  to  he  eco- 
nomically attained  cannot  yet  he  said  to  have  been  reached. 
One  or  two  things  in  reference  to  this  are  worthy  of  notice. 

The  Pennsylvania  regions  are  so  far  advanced  in  this  art,  that 
all  former  and  even  present  operations  of  this  nature,  in  other 
parts  of  the  world,  dwindle  into  comparative  insignificance; 
the  perfection  thus  far  attained  has,  doubtless,  been  reached  by 
the  enterprise  and  intelligence  of  men  from  all  parts  of  the 
country,  hut  exercised  and  brought  to  completeness  within  the 
limits  of  the  region  itself. 

So  much  so,  that  of  the  vast  number  of  ap})liances  successively 
introduced,  the  outside  world  has  supplied  to  the  region  hut 
little  else  than  the  raw  material ; of  late  years,  aj^proved  juit- 
terns  of  engines  and  boilers  have  been  made  elsewhere,  hut  the 
immediate  contrivances  for  the  work  must  he  forged  and  wrought 
under  the  eye  of  the  ojierator  himself.  Itrohahly  such  a com- 
munity, consisting  almost  entirely  of  young  men,  lias  never  been 
gathered  together  within  reach  of  the  great  business  centres. 
The  facility  with  which  ]»atcnts  were  obtained,  and  the  protec- 
tion given  by  the  law,  has  jiided  materially  in  the  rapid  strides 
made  in  the  work. 

It  would  hardly  be  desirable  within  the  limits  of  this  rej)ort, 
to  describe  more  than  the  main  features  of  the  method  as  it 


DRILLING  OIL  WELLS. 


J.  51. 


exists  to-day,  still  less  to  include  even  the  most  valiuiLle  in- 
ventions relating  indirectly  to  well  boring. 

The  llUj. 

The  Rig  is  composed  of  a derrick,  band-wdiccl,  bull-wdicel, 
sand  pump  reel,  sampson  post,  walking  beam  and  engine  house. 
The  present  derrick  is  built  ‘‘balloon  frame,”  16  to  20  feet 
square  at  the  base,  and  from  60  to  72  feet  in  height,  resting  on 
hewed  oak  sills  12  by  18  inches,  framed  and  pinned  at  corners ; 
the  four  corner  posts  are  of  pine  plank  10  by  2 inches,  spiked 
together  at  right  angles,  and  connected  with  cross-ties  and  di- 
agonal braces  of  8 by  1 J inches ; the  top  holds  the  usual  cast 
iron  derrick  pulley,  and  a ladder  to  reach  it  is  constructed  upon 
one  side. 

The  bull-wdieel  now  in  use  is  shown  in  the  plate ; four  main 
arms  of  oak  8 by  2 J inches,  pass  clear  through  the  shaft  and  are 
locked  and  keyed  ; the  false  arms  between,  6 by  2 inches,  wedge 
upon  each  at  the  shaft  and  are  firmly  held  by  the  three  thick- 
nesses of  pine  boards  forming  the  outer  rim. 

The  total  length  of  oak  shaft  is  from  lOJ  to  12  feet,  and  its 
diameter  13  inches ; its  length  between  wheels  6 to  7 feet ; di- 
ameter of  wheels  6J  to  7 feet,  and  bearing  pin  on  ends  2J  by  4 
inches ; the  manner  of  securing  the  iron  bearing  pin  and  plate 
to  the  end  of  the  oak  shaft,  as  shown  in  the  plate,  does  not  ap- 
pear at  first  glance  to  be  as  substantial  as  the  severe  test  of 
practice  has  found  it. 

The  brake  is  a simple  iron  strap  applied  under  tlie  bull-wdieel 
as  shown,  and  a wooden  pawl  is  used  to  fall  from  above,  against 
the  arms,  as  a permanent  stop  when  desired. 

The  band-wheel  is  built  of  inch  pine  lumber,  surfaced  to  a 
uniform  thickness,  the  present  diameter  being  about  7 feet ; the 
rope  i^ulley  wheel  on  one  side  is  5 feet,  and  the  face  of  the  wdiecl 
9 inches.  The  grooves  of  the  rope  pulleys  on  both  band  and 
bull- wheels  are  made  of  hard  wood,  and  to  insure  a perfect  outer 
circle,  the  edges  are  turned  oft*  after  the  wheels  are  firmly 
mounted  on  the  shaft  and  revolved  on  temporary  bearings. 

The  sand  pump  reel  has  always  been  the  most  awkward 
part  of  a well  rig ; acting  as  a friction  pulley  against  the  band- 
wdieel  with  the  bevelled  face  necessitated  by  the  different  angle 


J.  52. 


METHOD,  TOOLS,  AC., 


of  the  shaft,  its  tendency  was  to  self-destruction,  even  when  most 
carefully  and  securely  fitted  up.  A solid  wheel  of  hard  wood 
with  wooden  keys,  is  sometimes  used,  also  a piece  of  casing  as 
shaft,  with  a cast  iron  pulley  keyed  upon  it. 

The  reel  shown  in  the  plate  is  an  oak  shaft,  about  8 feet  in 
length,  8 inches  in  diameter,  with  arms  of  the  wheel  passing 
through  the  shaft  and  enclosed  with  an  iron  rim. 

The  Sampson  post  and  walking  beam  have  gradually  increased 
in  size,  until  the  one  is  a post  20  inches  square  and  the  other 
from  24  to  26  feet  in  length,  with*  a section  at  the  centre  of  30 
by  18  inches.  The  great  weight  of  the  walking  beam,  has 
perhaps  some  of  the  effect  of  a fly-wheel,  where  a fly-wheel  nev- 
ertheless is  not  found  to  be  a practical  success. 

The  utmost  care  is  shown  in  making  the  foundation  of  the 
Sampson  post  and  band-wheel  frame  perfectly  solid  and  substan- 
tial ; two  long  hewed  sills  for  the  latter,  not  less  than  12  by  20 
inches  in  section,  pass  clear  under  the  derrick  sills ; the  jack- 
posts,  cap  and  braces  of  the  band- wheel  frame  as  shown,  being 
of  pine  10  by  12  inches,  the  cap  bolted  through  to  the  sill. 

The  Well 

I 

To  Col.  Drake  we  are  indebted  for  the  invention  of  the  driv- 
ing  pipe,  which,  if  patented  at  the  time,  would  have  been  the 
foundation  of  a handsome  fortune;  as  a means  of  passing 
through  soft  overlying  earth  to  the  rock,  it  probably  never  will 
be  excelled.  The  pipe  used,  at  present,  is  eight  inches  in  diam- 
eter, of  cast  iron  one  inch  thick,  driven  down  into  the  earth  in 
sections  of  eight  feet  in  length,  connected  with  wrought  iron 
bands,  heated  and  shrunk  on. 

Putting  down  a thin  iron  pipe  of  six  inches  diameter  below 
the  lowest  fresh  water  vein,  and  retaining  the  surface  water  by  a 
water  packer  between  the  outside  of  the  ])ipe  and  the  wall  of 
the  well,  enables  the  driller  to  proceed  in  his  work  without  any 
annoyance  from  this  source;  and  when  the  well  is  completed,  to 
take  his  tubing  in  or  out  of  the  well  at  i)leasure,  still  keeping  the 
water  })ermanently  from  the  oil  bearing  rock.  In  fact,  the  en- 
tire o[)eration  of  drilling  and  pumping  is  carried  on  through 


DRILLING  OIL  WELLS. 


.1.  53. 


tlie  ciising^  aiul  not  until  a well  is  finally  abandoned  is  the  cas- 
ing drawn. 


Watex  Packer 

In  this  connection  the  water  packer  shown,  (see  plaie^)  is  a 
wonderful  improvement  on  the  bag  of  flaxseed  formerly  used ; 
the  weight  of  the  column  of  water  presses  the  leather  against 
the  sides  of  the  well,  forming  an  effectual  stopper.  By  means 
of  a left  handed  thread  it  can  be  loosened  in  a few  minutes,  and 
drawn  out  of  the  well  without  difficulty. 

Motive  Power. 

The  main  and  most  desirable  features  of  a drilling  engine,  are 
simplicity  of  construction,  durable  alignment,  and  an  adjusta- 
ble cut-off  permitting  close  economy  in  the  use  of  steam. 

While  it  takes  the  full  power  of  an  engine  to  drill  and  draw 
tools  expeditiously,  it  requires  hut  a small  fraction  of  that  power 
to  pump,  so  that  when  one  boiler  is  furnishing  steam  to  three 
or  four  wells,  it  is  essential  that  each  engine  should  take  the 
minimum  amount  required. 

This  is  accomplished  in  the  link  motion  of  the  eccentric, 
where,  by  adjusting  the  link,  the  steam  will  follow  the  piston 
from  one-fourth  to  five-sixths  of  the  stroke,  leaving  the  balance 
of  the  stroke  to  he  worked  by  expansion. 

The  engines  now  in  common  use  are  from  12  to  15  horse 
power,  the  boilers  from  15  to  20,  to  give  ample  steam  for  dril- 


J.  54. 


METHOD,  TOOLS,  &C., 


ling,  and  to  pump  a numl)er  of  completed  wells,  the  steam  pipes 
to  the  several  engines  being  boxed  with  non-conductors,  to  pre- 
vent condensation. 


Drilling  Tools. 

A set  of  tools,  to-day,  weighs  from  1,800  to  2,600  pounds,  and 
costs  about  $350.  They  consist  of  a temper  screw,  rope  socket, 
auger  stem,  sinker  bar  and  substitute,  the  jars,  two  bitts,  a round 
reamer,  a flat  reamer  and  tAvo  Avrenches. — (See  'platc.') 


The  temper  screAV  Auiries  little  from  that  in  former  use,  except 
in  size,  the  present  length  being  about  5 feet.  The  auger  stem, 
sinker-bar  and  substitute  are,  res[)ectiA^ely,  24,  14  and  5 feet  in 
length,  the  latter  being  used  in  starting  a Av^ell. 

They  are  made  in  the  body,  of  common  round  iron,  (2J  1o  3 
inches,)  Avith  boxes  and  pins  of  hlorAATiy  iron.  Jbns  ai-e  2,J 
inches  in  length,  2J  inches  in  diameter,  8 threads  to  llie  inch, 
and  Avith  the  least  possible  taper,  to  ])reA^ent  being  loosciu'd  by 
the  constant  jar,  Avhich  also  has  a tendency  to  crystalize  the  iron 


DIllLLlNU  OIL  WELLS. 


J.  55. 


in  the  }>iiis  nnd  boxes,  iniikiii<>;  it  necessary  to  renew  tlieni  at 
intervals. 

The  Jars  are  made  entirely  of  Norway  iron  two  inches  square, 
with  the  exception  of  the  inner  faces  and  ends  of  the  slotted 
('>penings,  which  are  lined  with  steel ; the  whole  heing  heated 
red-hot  and  carefully  annealed,  to  effect  a thorough  union  of  the 
metals.  The  stroke  of  the  jars  has  heen  reduced  to  12  inches, 
and  their  total  length  is  about  6 feet. 

The  Bitts  are  made  of  Norway  iron,  with  40  pounds  of  steel 
on  the  point,  which  is  drawn  to  a width  of  5J  inches,  more  or 
less,  according  to  the  size  of  the  well. 

The  flat  and  round  Keamers  are  made  also  of  Norway  ii*bn, 
with  more  steel  on  the  point ; there  are  also  various  extra  tools 
for  different  purposes. 

The  hollow  Reamer  for  straightening  a crooked  hole,  is  shown 
1)11  the  plate.  A spud  or  spoon  for  enlarging  the  well  around  a 
stuck  tool,  is  simply  half  a hollow  reamer  ; a slip  socket,  to  drop 
over  the  head  of  a tool  that  is  fast,  with  dogs  or  teeth  to  fall 
out  and  catch  under  the  collar ; a horn  socket,  or  tapering  iron 
tube,  to  drive  and  wedge  upon  the  head  of  any  fastened  iron. 
‘All  these,  with  many  others  often  especially  devised  and  con- 
structed for  the  purpose,  are  recpiired  at  various  times  in  sink- 
ing a well. 

The  cable  used  is  6 inch  untarred  manilla  rope  ; the  wire  rope 
has  not  yet  been  made  that  will  answer  for  drilling  purposes,  as 
none  are  sufficiently  pliable  to  use  on  the  shaft  of  a bull-wheel, 
and  to  increase  the  diameter  of  the  shaft  would  cause  loss  of 
power. 

The  sand  pump  lias  two  improvements:  first,  the  valve  with 
a drop  stem  to  open  it  on  reaching  the  bottom  of  the  well,  and 
second,  the  piston  which  keeps  its  place  at  the  bottom  of  the 
pump  while  being  lowered,  but  when  drawn  up,  fills  the  pump 
by  its  suction  with  the  loose  debris  and  water. 

Film  lying. 

The  main  improvements  under  this  head  may  be  included  in 
the  two  items  of  sucker-rods  and  valves.  The  old  style  of 
sucker  rods  with  fish-tail  ends,  has  long  since  passed  out  of  use ; 
the  rivets  constantly  becoming  loose  and  dropping  into  the  work- 


J.  56. 


CONSTRUCTION  AND  STATISTICS  OF 


ing  barrel  were  a great  annoyance.  To  remedy  tills  we  have  a . 
joint  without  any  rivets,  where  the  wood  is  driven  into  a metal 
socket  and  widened  at  the  end  with  a wedge,  (as  shown  in  the 
j)late^)  an  intermediate  piece  of  small  tubing,  making  a screw 
connection  between  the  two  sockets. 

The  valves  in  use  are  a plain  standing  valve  at  the  bottom  of 
the  working  barrel,  and  a three  or  four  cup  valve  or  a water 
packer  of  some  kind ; especial  valves  are  made  for  gas  when  it 
predominates  largely  in  a well,  and  to  meet  the  several  condi- 
tions which  occur.  The  body  of  the  sucker-rod  is  made  of  the 
best  upland  ash,  IJ-  inches  in  diameter,  and  in  length  from  24 
to  28  feet. 

As  an  instance  of  the  energy  with  which  this  business  has 
been  prosecuted,  it  may  be  stated  that  over  3,800  patents  bear-- 
ing  upon  the  production  and  manufacture  of  Petroleum  have 
been  issued  since  the  strikins;  of  the  first  well. 

O 


Section  3. — Pipe  Line  Transportation.  Pipe  lines,  their  construc- 
tion and  capabilities.)  comptarative  value  of  this  method  of  trails- 
portation. 

The  first  producing  wells  being  found  upon  the  flat  land  of 
Oil  creek  and  the  Allegheny  river,  the  removal  of  the  product 
was  not  a matter  of  great  difficulty  ; flat-boats  loaded  with  oil 
in  barrels  and  sometimes  in  bulk,  conveyed  the  oil  down  stream 
to  the  nearest  railroad.  The  railroads  gradually  extended  their 
branches  along  tlie  valleys  of  the  region  in  all  directions,  but 
the  oil  produced  from  inlying  valleys  or  remote  spots,  had  to  be 
conveyed  in  barrels  by  team  from  the  wells  to  the  dump  tank 
at  the  shipping  station,  often  a distance  of  ten  or  twelve  miles, 
and  at  a cost  of  as  much  as  three  dollars  per  barrel. 

To  remedy  this,  it  was  natural  to  turn  to  the  conveyance  of 
water  in  pipes  as  an  example,  and  in  consequence  a four  inch 
cast  iron  pij^^K)  with  leaded  joints,  was  laid  in  1861  from  Titus- 
ville, four  miles  down  tlie  creek. 

Owing  undoubtedly  to  its  imperfect  construction,  it  leaked 
so  badly  under  the  slight  pressure  to  which  it  was  subjected 
and  was  such  an  alarming  failure,  that  all  projects  of  the  kind 


riVi:  LINE  TRANSPORTATION. 


J.  57. 


were  abandoned  until  the  year  1865,  -wlion  Air.  Samuel  Van- 
pyckle  conceived  the  very  happy  thought  of  extending  the  tubing 
of  the  Avell  as  it  were,  to  the  station  desired,  liowever  distant^ 
and  laid  the  first  line  of  tAVO  inch  tubing  six  miles  in  length, 
from  Pit-hole  to  Aliller  farm,  having  two  intermediate  })ump. 
stations  Avhicli  were  subsequently  abandoned  as  unnecessary. 

The  mechanical  success  of  this  line  soon  caused  the  matter  to 
he  taken  up  by  others,  and  the  length  and  capacity  of  the  lines 
extended  over  the  upper,  and  finally  over  the  lower  region,  until 
at  present  the  net  Avork  of  pipes  which,  like  the  veins  of  a 
human  body,  extends  throughout  the  entire  country,  reaches 
Avith  the  branches  to  the  Avells,  the  enormous  aggregate  of  nearly 
tAvo  thousand  miles. 

A\^ithout  intending  to  specifically  describe  the  extent  and  ca- 
pacity of  the  several  lines,  it  is  desirable  to  direct  attention  to 
the  peculiar  and  unexpected  advantages  of  this  mode  of  trans- 
portation, and  to  note  the  discovery  of  some  valuable  facts  con- 
cerning its  economy  and  the  possible  range  of  its  usefulness. 

There  are  to-da}^  in  the  oil  region,  fifteen  separate  companies 
engaged  in  the  transportation  of  oil  by  nipe  from  the  Avells  to 
the  railroad. 

llie  Octave  Pipe  Company  gathers  up  the  oil  from  the  Avells 
of  Church  run  and  Octave  districts,  and  loads  at  Titusville. 

The  Church  Pun  Pipte  Comjxmy  is  confined  to  the  Avells  at 
Church  run,  delivering  at  Titusville. 

The  New  York  Pipe  Company  has  a main  line  from  Tidioute 
and  AYest  Hickory  through  the  London,  Colorado  and  En- 
terprise districts,  13  miles,  Avithout  relay  ; also  a line  from  AYest 
Hickory  to  Garland,  on  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  railroad,  15 
miles,  Avith  a relay  pump  station  half-way. 

The  Titusville  Pipe  Company  has  a line  from  Pit-hole  through 
the  Shamhurg  and  Pleasantville  districts  to  Titusville,  eleven 
miles. 

The  Pennsylvania  Transportation  Company  has  a net  Avork  of 
lines  of  about  150  miles  in  length,  draining  the  Pit-hole,  Pleas- 
antville, Shamhurg,  AYest  Hickory  and  Octave  districts,  ship- 
ping at  Titusville,  Aliller  Farm  and  Oil  City.  The  line  from 


J.  58. 


CONSTRUCTION  AND  STATISTICS  OP 


West  Hickory  to  Titusville  pumps  tliirteen  miles  without  a re- 
lay. The  company  also  operate  a ten  mile  line  and  connection 
in  the  lower  region,  from  Millerstown  to  Brady's  Bend. 

The  Rochester  and  Oleopolis  Ripe  Company  has  the  only  success- 
ful gravity  pipe  line  ever  put  in  operation  ; it  is  six  inches  in 
diameter,  and  formerly  delivered  the  oil  from  the  Bit-hole  dis- 
trict to  the  railroad  at  the  mouth  of  Pit-hole  creek. 

It  has  also  a line  laid  from  Oleopolis  over  the  hill  to  Oil  City, 
which  is  an  ordinary  2 inch  line. 

The  United  Ripe  Lines  reach  almost  every  part  of  the  lower 
oil  region,  and  aggregate  over  500  miles  in  continuous  length. 
Their  main  lines  are  from  Turkey  run,  at  the  head  of  the  great 
lower  oil  belt,  to  Oil  City;  from  Modoc  and  Fairview  to  Bay- 
miltoipon  the  Jamestown  and  Franklin  railroad,  over  22  miles; 
from  Karns  City,  MillerstoAvn  and  Greece  City  to  Ilarrisville, 
on  the  Shenango  railroad,  three  lines,  twelve,  fifteen  and  sixteen 
miles  each. 

The  Union  Ripe  Company  is  side  hy  side  in  length  Avith  the 
United  Pit>e,  draining  the  entire  lower  region  hy  innumerable 
short  lines  to  the  Allegheny  Valley  and  Pittsburg  railroad,  and 
shipping  to  Butler  and  Coyle’s  station,  on  the  West  Pennsyl- 
vania railroad,  by  main  lines  of  fifteen  miles  in  length  ; the 
total  continuous  length  of  main  lines,  and  connections,  being 
more  than  500  miles. 

The  American  Transfer  Company^  from  U})per  Turkey  Pun  to 
Emlcnton,  has  about  50  miles  of  main  lino  and  connections. 

Tiie  Antwerp  Ripe,  and  tlic  Oil  City  Ripe,  extends  from  the 
Petersl)urg  district  to  the  Allegheny  Valley  railroad,  and  to  Oil 
City  through  the  Sandy  district. 

The  Grant  Ripe  Company,  from  the  Grant  farm  above  Par- 
ker’s landing,  delivers  on  the  riAX‘r,  and  is  30  miles  in  continu- 
ous length. 

Th.e  Relief  Ripe  Company,  from  Story  farm  and  Armstrong 
run,  also  delivers  at  the  river,  and  is  one  of  the  most  ])rominent 
routes  of  transportation  for  the  oil  in  the  lower  region. 

The  Columbia  Conduit  Company  is  the  i'orerunner  of  a formi- 
dal)le  com[)etition  of  the  pipe  line,  as  a means  of  trans])ortation, 
compare<l  with  a railroad,  and  its  main  line  of  three  inch  pipe 


PIPE  LINE  TRANSPORTATION. 


J.  59. 


extends  from  Arillcrstown,  Butler  county,  to  tlie  inoutli  of  Beer 
creek,  above  rittsbiirg-,  on  tlic  Alleglieuy,  a distance  of  87  miles, 
having  two  relay  stations  on  the  route ; the  connections,  from 
the  receiving  tanks  to  the  wells,  will  probably  add  forty  miles 
more.  All  these  pipe  lines  are  shown,  in  detail,  on  the  pub- 
lished maps  of  the  region. 

General  Construction. 

The  tubing  in  common  use  for  well  and  shipping  purposes,  is 
made  of  wrought  iron  plates,  of  number  6 or  7 wire  guage, 
heated  in  a furnace  and  closed  around  a cold  iron  core  ; the  joint 
in  the  lap- weld  tubing  being  formed  by  passing  it,  while  hot 
and  soft,  through  a series  of  rollers,  which  first  turn  up  the 
edges,  and  then  press  or  weld  them  down  upon  each  other. 

In  butt-weld  tubing,  the  edges  are  simply  heated  to  a white 
heat,  and  then  rolled  together. 

Tubing,  to  be  merchantable  for  oil  purposes,  must  stand  a test 
of  1,200  lbs.  per  square  inch  of  internal  pressure,  a strength 
which  is  attained  only  by  lap-weld. 

In  a pump  for  a pipe  line,  the  essential  elements  are  a long 
stroke,  a small  oil  cylinder,  and  a large  steam  cylinder. 

The  air  chamber  also  of  the  pump  must  be  proportioned  to 
the  work  of  the  line,  for  the  capacity  of  the  pump  is  substan- 
tially the  capacity  of  the  line.  There  should  be  no  obstruction 
in  the  line,  especially  at  the  point  of  delivery;  a simple  bend 
of  the  pipe  at  the  receiving  tank  will  add  many  pounds  of  pres- 
sure to  the  pump. 

All  the  stop-cocks  and  connections  should  be  free  way  stop- 
cocks. If  the  passage  through  the  plug  of  a cock  is  but  two- 
thirds  of  the  sectional  area  of  the  pipe,  for  all  the  purpose  of  a 
pipe  line,  the  diameter  might  as  well  have  been  just  that  much 
reduced. 

The  experience  acquired  in  the  construction  and  management 
of  pipe  lines  in  the  oil  region,  has  shown  the  comparative  eco- 
nomic value  of  this  method  of  transportation  to  exceed  all 
others  yet  devised.  Whether  this  fact  is  applicable  in  any  way 
to  our  advantage,  in  the  face  of  existing  arrangements,  or  the 
uncertain  life  of  oil  production,  may  be  left  for  subsequent  ex- 
amination. 


J.  60. 


CONSTRUCTION  AND  STATISTICS  OF 


The  point  itself  seems  to  be  so  valuable  to  the  public  at  large, 
that  it  is  only  proposed  here  to  give  such  items  of  detail  as  will 
enable  any  one  to  satisfy  himself  of  the  truth  of  the  proposi- 
tion, and  leave  the  consideration  of  its  application  to  any  future 
need  that  may  arise. 

The  use  of  this  method  of  carrying  is  based,  of  course,  upon 
the  quantity  of  the  fluid,  to  be  carried,  being  ample  and  corres- 
pondingly cheap.  To  arrive  at  an  estimate  of  the  relative 
values  of  railroad  and  pipe  line  transportation  at  the  present 
time  it  is  necessary  first  to  state,  that  the  computation  of  the 
working  capacity  and  required  force  of  a pipe  line  is  taken  en- 
tirely out  of  the  old  channels  of  the  conveyance  of  water  by 
heads,  by  the  overwhelming  predominance  of  the  element  of 
friction.  From  75  to  80  per  cent,  of  the  pumping  force  required 
by  a pipe  line  is  necessary  to  overcome  the  friction  dependant  on 
the  velocity  of  flow. 

Also,  that  in  building  a line,  if  the  pipe  were  made  very  heavy, 
one  pump  would  force  it  a long  distance  and  save  the  cost  of 
labor  and  fuel  attendant  on  intermediate  stations ; but,  that  if 
there  were  a great  many  intermediate  stations,  the  pipe  could  be 
made  very  light  and  the  expense  of  construction  greatly  reduced, 
Avhile  the  cost  of  fuel  and  labor  is  greatly  increased. 

It  is  evident  that  there  is  a mean  length  of  line  which  can 
be  operated  to  advantage  by  one  pump.  AVith  the  lines  at 
present  in  use  this  is  about  fifteen  miles ; with  care  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  line  it  could  be  extended,  without  doubt,  to 
twenty  miles. 

Let  A B fig.  1,  represent  a pipe  line ; A being  tlie  pump  sta- 
tion where  a pressure  say  of  900  lbs.  ])er  square  inch  is  required, 
and  B the  point  of  delivery  at  the  tank  fifteen  miles  distant, 
where  there  is  no  pressure  at  all ; it  is  evident  that  in  the  con- 
struction of  ordinary  lines,  which  are  of  e(iual  thickness  for  their 
entire  length,  there  is  just  twice  the  amount  of  iron  used  that 
is  actually  recpiired. 

In  removing  this  unem])loyed  iron  from  our  line,  let  us  make 
our  section  as  follows:  See  fig.  2 ; the  gain  accruing  from  an  ex- 
])ansion  of  the  bore  of  the  pipe  will  be  shown  by  the  following 
figures,  which  are  given  to  represent  the  construction,  cost,  and 


PIPE  LINE  TRANSPORTATION. 


J.  Gl. 


'Nvorking  capacity  of  a twenty  mile  pipe,  of  an  average  diameter 
of  three  inches. 


Pig.  1. 


rig.2. 


The  area  of  internal  section  of  a three  inch  pipe  is  7.06858344 
square  inches;  contents  of  line  (20  miles)  105,600  feet,  38,776 
gallons  or  901  barrels ; to  deliver  3,600  barrels  per  day  would 
require  a velocity  of  flow  of  five  feet  per  second. 

Weisbach’s  formula  to  ascertain  the  head  required  to  over- 
come friction,  is  as  follows : 


01746.  . . I 
d~ 


(.0144+-^)X;;-X.-.=A' 


■y/v 


574 


h'  — head  required  in  feet. 

V = velocity  in  feet  per  second. 


J.  62. 


CONSTRUCTION  AND  STATISTICS  OF 


I = length  of  the  line  in  feet. 
d = diameter  of  the  pipe  in  inches. 
This  formula  applied  would  he, 


(.01444 


.01746.  105600  .25 


l/5 


)X— 2473.9 


In  practice  this  is  found  to  be,  for  these  long  pipes,  about  25 
per  cent,  in  excess,  where  the  route  is  carefully  selected  and  the 
line  properly  laid.  As  these  lines  follow  vertically  the  contour 
of  the  ground  in  a hilly  countiy,  this  is  somewhat  remarkable, 
especially  when  it  is  considered  that  no  account  is  taken  of  any 
increased  friction  for  the  rise  of  the  line  in  many  places  above 
the  hydraulic  mean  gradient,  from  the  highest  point  to  be  over- 
come to  the  point  of  delivery. 

If  the  line  be  enlarged  every  five  miles,  we  shall  have  as  fol- 
lows : 


5 miles  of  3 

5 “ 3-1- 

5 “ 31 

5 4 


inch  pipe  friction  head  required 

u u u 

U U (.i 


618.5 

570.9 

530.0 

464.0 


Total, 2,183.4 

Being  a saving  in  head  of  nearly  300  feet. 

It  will  be  readily  seen  that  an  equivalent  to  this  gain  may  be 
obtained  by  a reduction  of  tlie  diameter  of  the  pipe  at  the  pump, 
or  by  an  increased  velocity,  thus : 


Velocity. 

Friction  head. 

Contents  of  section. 

5 

miles 

2f 

inch. 

5 ft.  9 in.  per  sec. 

674.9 

187  bbls. 

5 

u 

3 

5 ft.  per  sec. 

618.5 

225.2  “ 

5 

u 

31 

Li  ' 

4 ft.  2 in. 

570.9 

264.5  “ 

5 

u 

LL 

3 ft.  6 in. 

530.0 

306.8  - 

2,394.3 

983.5  - 

Being  still  less  than  the  friction  head  required  for  a continuous 
three  inch  pipe. 

It  will  also  be  found  that  the  reduced  line  contains  983.5  bar- 
rels instead  of  901;  and  since  the  element  of  friction  represents 
the  greatest  resistance  fo  be  overcome,  tlie  enlargement  will  sim- 


I'lPK  IJNE  TRANSPORTATION. 


J. 


])ly  cause  a constant  rod  notion  of  velocity,  and  tlierefore  of  fric- 
tion and  ])rcssnre. 

In  twenty  miles  of  straight  pipe  there  will,  j)rohahly,  he  ele- 
vations to  overcome.  Let  ns  assume  400  feet  as  an  extreme,  and 
add  it  to  the  head  required,  we  slionld  then  tind  the  total  head 
as  follows : 

neaa  required. 


At  the  pump,  2f  inch  pipe  - - 2,794.3  1,212 

l^eginning  of  second  5 miles,  3 inch  pipe,  2,119.3  919 

Beginning  of  third  5 miles,  3J  inch  pipe,  1,500.9  651 

Beginning  of  fourth  5 miles,  3 J inch  i)i[)e,  930.0  403 


(It  will  he  observed  'that  the  head  of  400  feet  is  carried 
through  all  the  sections  in  the  absence  of  given  levels  of  any 
actual  line ; otherwise  the  heads  and  pressures,  for  the  last  two 
or  three  sections,  would  be  very  much  reduced.) 


The  formula  of  Weisbach,  from  which  the  above  has  been 
calculated,  was  based  upon  the  results  obtained  from  water ; by 
multiplying  the  pressures  given  by  the  difference  in  specific 
gravity  of  water  and  the  oil  of  commerce,  .7972 — we  have  the 
following 


1st  section, 
2d 


res.  in  lbs.  per  Tliicknessof  metal  in  Weight  of  pip 
sq.  inch. 


pipe 


969  .167  inch 

735  .138  “ 


per  foot. 

6.709  lbs. 
5.537  ‘‘ 


3d 

4th 


521  .093  3.799 

322  .071  2.910  ‘‘ 


Our  first  section  will  contain 
Our  second  “ ‘‘ 

Our  third  “ “ 

Our  fourth  ‘‘  “ 


- 177,117  lbs  of  iron.. 

- 146,176  “ 

- 100,320  “ “ 

- 76,824  “ “ 


Total, 


500,437 


The  weight  of  the  line  if  made  of  the  ordinary  two  inch 
tubing  in  tlie  usual  manner,  would  be  387,235  lbs.  ; and  its  ca- 
pacity for  delivery  would  be  but  1,000  barrels  per  day,  against 
3,600  in  the  line  above  described. 


J.  64. 


REFINING  PETROLEUM. 


The  work  of  the  line  would  equal  366,291,200  gallons  raised 
one  foot  high  in  twenty-four  hours,  requiring  for  its  exertion  a 
horse  power  of  77  for  water,  and  62  for  oil. 

From  the  above  data  we  make  the  following  estimate  of  the 
cost  of  the  twenty  mile  pipe : 

500,437  ft)S.  iron  @ 9 cents,  delivered  on  ground,  $45,039  33 
10,000  ibs.  fittings  @ 20  cents,  - - - . 2,000  00 

Laying  pipe  in  trench  2 ft.  deep,  6,400  rods  @ 60  cents,  3,840  00 
70  horse  power  boiler,  pump  and  station,  complete,  10,000  00 

Telegraph  line, 2,000  00 

1,000  barrel  tank,  iron, 1,000  00 

Sundries,  - - - 1,120  66 

$65,000  00 

To  move  this  3,600  barrels  of  oil  per  day,  would  require  the 
direct  services  of  four  men ; two  engineers  relieve  each  other  at 
the  pump  every  twelve  hours,  one  man  receives  the  oil  from  the 
wells  and  keeps  the  guages,  and  one  man  receives  and  ships  the 
oil  at  the  railway  station. 

The  cost  of  an  engine  and  train  of  thirty-six  tank  cars,  which 
would  be  required  to  carry  3,600  barrels  of  oil,  would  exceed  the 
cost  of  the  entire  pipe  line,  exclusive  of  any  estimate  of  the 
cost  of  the  roadway,  which  is  about  ten  times  the  cost  per  mile. 

With  an  ample  supply  of  the  fluid,  and  the  required  number 
of  these  twenty  mile  sections,  the  estimate  made  would  cover 
any  distance  required. 

IS'o  further  object  is  aimed  at  in  these  statements,  than  to  in- 
stigate a full  investigation  of  the  possible  economic  value  of  this 
method  of  moving  fluids.  The  flgnres  given  will  be  found 
within  safe  practical  limits,  and  based  upon  actual  experience. 


Section  4. — Refining.  Composition  and  properties  of  Oil ; the  regu- 
lation of  its  manvfactare  to  secure  safety  ; fire-test  and  sale  of  Oil 
by  ir eight. 

The  preparation  of  Petroleum  for  use  in  the  lamp,  is  of  course 
a business  of  no  greater  age  than  the  article  itself;  it  is  true, 


REFININd  PETROLEUM. 


J.  65. 


'that  the  process  followed  to  some  extent  that  of  the  destructive 
distillation  of  bituminous  shales ; but  beyond  the  suggestion  of 
the  main  outlines  of  the  method  pursued,  there  is  no  similarity 
in  the  practice. 

There  has  existed,  until  recently,  a vast  deal  of  misapprehen- 
sion in  the  general  mind,  of  the  nature,  properties  and  “fail- 
ings” so  to  speak,  of  Petroleum  Oil ; the  dangers  "attending  its 
use  have  been  both  underrated  and  overrated,'  and  the  ’ exact 
point  of  danger  is  necessarily  difficult  to  locate. 

Among  the  majority  of  people  who  ' use  refined  petroleum,  and 
even  among  those  to  whom  the  [question  of  ^ fire-test  is  a matter 
of  interest,  the  impression  prevails  That 'it  is  a simple  fluid,  like 
water,  which,  by  sufficient  heat,  is  resolved  into  a single  gas  or 
vapor. 

A thorough  comprehension  of  this  point  is  essential  to  a foun- 
dation for  any  further  consideration  ofdhe  safety  and  properties 
of  the  article.  All  Petroleum  consists  of;  ah' unknown  number 
of  distinct  hydro-carbons,  which  the  writer  believes  will  include 
the  paraffine  series,  the  olefine  series,^  and  a few  members  of 
the  aromatic  series.* 

Investigation  has  not  yet  been  sufficiently  minute  to  deter- 
mine the  precise  number  of  members  in  each  series,  or  to  dis- 
prove the  possibility  of  the  existence  of  intermediate  series. 

On  the  basis  above  stated  we  find  that  crude  petroleum  con- 
sists of  not  less  than  thirty  distinct  and  known  hydrocarbons, 
which  are  separated  from  each  other  merely  by  difterent  degrees 
of  heat,  many  others  unknown  undoubtedly  exist,  to  which  no 
special  individuality  has  as  yet  been  given. 

The  refined  oil  of  commerce  has  been  freed  from  both  the 
lighter  and  the  heavier  members  of  each  series,  and,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  illustrating  its  relation  to  crude  oil,  is  assumed  by  the 
writer  to  consist  of  the  paraffins  ranging  between  and 

^13  the  olefines  ranging  between  C®  and 

and  the  last  two  or  three  members  of  the  aromatic  series. 

Such,  however,  is  the  peculiar  nature  of  the  lightest  vapors, 

* Fowne’s  Chemistry,  American  edition,  1871,  p.  507 


J.— 5. 


J.  66. 


REFINING  PETROLEUM. 


that~ they’ never  can  ^ be  absolutely  expelled,  but  seem  to  blend 
and  cling  as  it  were  to  the  heavier  paraffins. 


Diagram  of.  Crude  and  Kefined  Oil, 

The  relation  of  the  component  parts  of  relined  and  crude  oil 
will  be  more  readily  understood  by  the  accompanying  diagram. 
'A  perfect  distillation  of  refined  oil,  consists  in  removing  the  sepa- 
rate members  of  this  structure  in  their  regular  order  as  shown, 
just  as  a building  is  taken  down  brick  after  brick,  or  without 
‘‘  cracking,’’  (to  use  the  technical  term,)  or  decomposing  any  one 
member  of  the  several  series ; the  heat  being  applied  very  gently 
at  first,  and  steadily  increased,  just  enough  heat  being  applied  to 
the  oil  to  remove  the  member  remaining  uppermost  at  the  time. 

The  crude  oil,  say  of  46°  gravity,  is  first  subjected  to  the 
mild  heat  of  steam  pipes,  which  throws  off  the  lightest  com- 
pounds in  the  form  of  gas,  which  is  used  for  fuel.  After  being 
subjected  to  this  treatment,  the  oil  is  placed  in  the  still,  free 
from  any  compound  of  higher  gravity  than  75°.  The  body  of  the 
still,  and  the  brick  casing,  retaining,  (as  is  especially  the  case  in 
large  stills)  some  of  the  heat  of  the  last  run,  this  prevents  any 
decrease  in  the  temperature  of  the  oil. 

The  fires  of  the  still  being  carefully  graduated  to  a steadily 
increasing  heat,  there  are  thrown  otf  through  the  vapor  ])ii)e8 
of  the  still  the  following  products : 

First.  A product  of  80°  to  70°  density,  known  as  light 
naphtha  or  gasoline. 


REFINING  PETROLEUM. 


J.  C7. 


Sc-cond.  Benzine,  from  70°  to  65°  density. 

Third,  Heavy  benzine,  from  65°  to  62°  ; tliis  benzine  being 
put  back  with  the  crude  oil  and  run  again. 

Fourth,  Burning  oil,  from  62°  to  43°  ; the  stills  being  run  oft' 
at  43°,  that  is  to  say  when  the  residue  in  the  still  acquires  that 
density;  this  residue  can  be  treated  in  special  smaller  stills,  and 
be  reduced  in  great  part  to  burning  oil.  The  success  of  this  stage 
of  the  process  is  dependent  entirely  upon  the  adjustment  of  the 
heat  applied  to  the  constantly  changing  composition  of  the  oil ; 
it  cannot  be  attained  by  simply  keeping  a low  temperature,  and 
taking  ample  time ; for  while  experience  has  shown  that  crude 
oil  may,  if  desired,  be  reduced  almost  entirely  by  a slow  heat 
to  benzine  and  tar,  there  is  no  method  known  of  reversing  the 
process  and  making  oil  from  benzine. 

• On  the  other  hand,  any  greater  heat  than  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary to  remove  the  several  members  of  the  series,  successively, 
will  destroy  the  color  of  the  oil  by  setting  free  some  of  the  car- 
bon. 

Between  this  “ Scylla  and  Charybdis”  lies  the  highroad  to 
success  in  this  manufacture. 

The  percentage  of  refined  from  crude,  got  by  careful  averages 
from  large  runs  estimated  semi-annually,  is  from  70  to  72  per 
cent.  It  is  claimed  by  some  that  this  percentage  can  be  greatly 
increased,  but  it  is  considered  desirable  to  state  here,  only  such 
facts  as  are  known  to  exist  at  present. 

The  vapor  on  leaving  the  still  is  dashed  with  a spray  of  cold 
water,  which  not  only  condenses  at  once  some  of  the  heavier 
members,  but  washes  out  and  separates  any  loose  carbon  or  soot 
that  may  come  over  in  the  vapor.  The  remaining  vapor,  un- 
condensed, is  passed  through  a worm  of  iron  pipe  submerged 
under  running  water,  of  such  length  that  no  vapor  will  come 
out  with  the  “ distillate,”  as  it  is  called,  which  runs  out  of  the 
tail  pipes.  This  distillate  is  treated  as  follows ; 

First  With  sulphuric  acid,  to  remove  the  tar  and  bleach  the 
oil. 

Second.  Washed  with  clean  water  to  remove  the  acid. 

Third.  With  caustic  soda,  to  neutralize  the  acid,  and 

Fourth.  With  ammonia,  to  complete  the  neutralization. 

Fifth.  Washed  again  with  water. 


J.  68. 


REFINING  PETROLEUM. 


The  agitation  of  the  oil  being  effected,  during  all  these  pro- 
cesses,  by  air-pumps.  The  oil  is  then  exposed  to  the  sun,  in  open 
tanks,  under  glass,  for  twenty-four  hours,  or  more  if  it  be  de- 
sired, to  bleach  it  further,  and  improve  it  generally. 

The  Measurement  and  Sale  of  Befined  Oil. 

The  inevitable  and  annoying  differences  arising  from  the  vari- 
ance in  the  guagings  of  refined  oil  in  barrels,  and  the  possibility 
of  making  barrels  which  would  defy  an  accurate  guage,  led  to 
the  adoption,  by  the  leading  exporters  and  refiners,  of  the  sale  of 
oil  by  weight.  The  barrel  is  weighed  and  marked,  then  filled 
with  oil  and  weighed  again,  the  difference  being  the  amount  of 
oil  contained. 

The  basis  on  which  oil  is  sold  is  as  follows : — Oil  of  110°  fire- 
test,  45°  gravity,  will  weigh  6J  lbs.  to  the  gallon.  Oil  of  125° 
fire-test  will  weigh  about  2 pounds  more  per  barrel  than  oil  of 
110°  fire-test. 

Sixty-five  barrels  of  110°  fire-test  oil,  45°  gravity,  weigtu 
without  packages,  19,536  pounds. 

Sixty-five  barrels  of  75°  benzine  weigh,  without  package^ 
16,270  pounds. 

The  advantages  of  this  system  have  become  so  apparent,  that 
no  further  remark  is  necessary  than  to  call  attention  to  it. 

Fire-test 

The  detection  of  dangerous  oils,  and  the  protection  of  the 
public  at  large  from  the  danger  attending  their  use,  is  a matter 
which  has  not  yet  been  fully  accomplished.  The  difficulties  en- 
countered are  as  follows : 

First  Benzine,  and  the  lighter  members  of  Petroleum,  make 
the  brightest  and  most  beautiful  light,  and  can  be  burned 
in  any  lamp  with  perfect  safety,  so  long  as  they  are  kept  at  a 
temperature  sufficiently  low  to  keep  them  from  vaporizing, 
which  of  course  is  ordinarily  impracticable. 

Second.  While  the  weight  of  refined  oil  increases  uniformly 
with  its  gravity,  the  fire-test  does  not,  but  is  irregular. 

Third.  The  facility  with  which  refined  oil  from  the  larger  re- 
fineries, (almost  invariably  safe  and  of  good  quality,)  can  bo  a<lnl- 


REFINING  PETROLEUM. 


J.  69. 


terated  with  the  lightest  gasoline,  at  any  stage  of  its  progress  to 
tlie  consumer. 

Fourth  The  imperfection  of  the  present  fire-test. 

Fifth  It  is  the  nature  of  all  oil  to  settle  and  arrange  itself  in 
any  vessel  in  stratiform  layers,  so  that  the  heavier  oil  will  he 
found  at  the  bottom  and  the  lighter  oil  on  top ; this  can  readily 
be  tested  in  any  vessel,  large  or  small,  which  has  stood  some 
time.  In  an  oil  that  is  not  uniform^  the  difierence  between  the 
top  and  the  bottom  fire-test  of  a barrel  is  often  as  much  as  five 
or  even  ten  degrees ; so  that  the  sample  for  fire-test  should  be 
taken  from  the  top  of  the  vessel  instead  of  the  bottom,  as  at 
present. 

Against  these  points  we  might  ofiset  the  following  sugges- 
tions : 

First.  To  a certain  extent  the  best  oil  weighs  the  most.  While 
the  difierence  is  not  great,  and  the  statement  is  not  sweepingly 
true,  yet  a standard  minimum  weight  for  a gallon  of  oil  would 
exclude  a great  part  of  the  dangerous  oils.  If  we  find  an  oil  of 
high  fire-test  and  light  gravity,  it  indicates  that  it  is  only  a 
mechanical  combination  of  the  extremes  of  the  series — very 
heavy  with  very  light  members  of  the  series  of  hydrocarbon 
compounds — and  it  is  apt  to  separate  and  arrange  itself  as  stated 
before,  if  left  long  standing. 

Second.  For  the  reason  just  stated,  the  gravity  of  the  oil, 
should  within  certain  limits,  correspond  with  the  fire-test ; a 
light  oil  in  the  ordinary  acceptation  of  the  term,  will  burn  up 
quickly  in  the  lamp — a heavy  oil  last  much  longer. 

Third.  All  the  explosive  oils  here  considered  being  hydrocar- 
bons, the  excluding  of  the  presence  of  any  of  the  lighter  hydro- 
carbons from  a certain  point,  in  any  composition  whatever  in- 
tended for  illuminating  purposes,  would  cover  most  of  the  ground. 
While  this  would  totally  extinguish  many  patent  burning  fluids 
which  are  placed  in  the  market  whenever  Petroleum  commands 
advanced  prices,  there  would  be  no  injustice  done. 

Fourth  When  the  consumer  knew  that  the  lack  of  a certain 
weight  in  an  ordinary  gallon-can  indicated  danger,  and  that  it 
would  burn  up  quickly,  he  would,  in  connection  with  the  color 
of  the  oil,  have  a simple  and  ready  means  of  judging  for  himself ; 
skillful  adulteration  might  dissolve  some  substance  that  would 


J.  70. 


REFINING  PETROLEUM. 


add  to  its  weight  and  gravity,  but  to  accomplish  such  adultera- 
tion without  detection  through  the  ordinary  tests  of  color,  odor 
and  burning  properties,  to  say  nothing  of  tests,  means  would  be 
almost  impossible. 

It  should,  however  be  well  understood  that  safety  and  a high 
fire-test  means  a poor  burning  oil  and  a dull  light ; it  is  a ques- 
tion simply  between  safety  to  the  consumer  and  the  brilliancy 
of  the  light,  each  being  attained  at  the  cost  of  the  other. 

An  oil  of  110°  fire-test  contains,  without  question,  all  the  ele- 
ments of  safety,  and  possesses  an  amount  of  brilliancy  which  far 
surpasses  anything  of  a higher  fire-test. 

In  burning  a lamp,  as  in  refining,  the  lighter  parts  of  the  oil 
will  pass  ofi*  first ; hence,  an  oil  of  150°  fire-test  may  burn 
brightly  at  the  start,  but  will  finally  become  dim,  on  account  of 
the  greater  density  of  the  balance. 

A standard  fire-test  of  110°  of  samples  from  the  top  of  a pack- 
age that  had  stood  twenty-four  hours  undisturbed,  a standard 
minimum  weight  per  gallon  sufficient  to  exclude  all  oils  out- 
rageously dangerous,  and  finally  the  outlawing  of  all  hydro- 
carbons lighter  than  a stated  formula  in  any  composition  in- 
tended for  burning,  would  embody  the  elements  of  both  safety 
and  comfort  to  all  who  use  Petroleum  or  shale  oils. 

Refining  Capacity. 


The  refining  capacity  of  the  United  States,  may  be  stated  as 
follows : 


In  the  Oil  Region, 

9,231  barrels  per  day. 

ISTew  York, 

- 9,790 

u 

Cleveland, 

- 11,732 

U 

cc 

Pittsburg, 

- 6,090 

U 

u 

Philadelphia,  - 

- 2,061 

u 

u 

Baltimore, 

- 1,098 

(( 

u 

Erie,  Pa., 

- 1,168 

u 

u 

Boston, 

- 3,875 

a 

Ci 

Buftalo,  K Y., 

631 

u 

ii 

Portland,  Me., 

350 

u 

(C 

Other  small  refineries. 

200 

u 

u 

Total  - ' - 

- 46,22(5 

u 

u 

USES  OF  PETROLEUM. 


J.  71. 


Section  5. — The  uses  of  Petroleum,  crude,  as  a preservative.  Re- 
fined oil  as  an  illuminator ; residuum,  naphtha,  hydrocarbons, 

as  fuel. 

Crude  oil  is,  probably  not  excelled  as  a preservative  for  tim- 
ber, and  makes  a principal  part  of  almost  all  compounds  which 
have  lately  been  proposed  for  that  purpose ; as  a single  ingre- 
dient, it  seems  to  lack  penetrating  properties  ; but  timber  which 
has  been  thoroughly  saturated,  by  lying  a long  time  in  crude  oil, 
seems  to  have  become  almost  imperishable. 

The  acids  contained  in  all  crude  oil  show  their  greatest  effect 
in  the  pipe-lines  through  which  it  is  in  constant  motion.  This 
.singular  result  is  observed,  that  only  certain  sections  of  the  pipe 
seem  to  be  attacked,  in  some  cases  being  eaten  almost  through, 
while  other  parts  are  left  unimpaired. 

The  crudes,  from  different  sections  of  the  region,  vary  some- 
what in  gravity,  but  are  valued  for  refining  purposes  chiefly  in 
proportion  as  they  are  free  from  clay  and  earthy  impurities. 

Church  Run,  near  Titusville,  yields  the  best  crude,  of  about 
46°  gravity,  yielding  a greater  percentage  of  refined  than  any 
other.  Pleasantville  and  West  Hickory  a black  oil  of  47°,  and 
the  lower  region  a light  green  oil  of  47°.  The  oil  at  Pit-hole 
was  the  lightest  ever  found,  the  gravity  reaching,  in  some  cases, 
as  high  as  51°. 

Heavy  oil,  from  28°  to  35°,  has  always  a greater  amount  of 
earthy  matter,  and  an  amount  of  sulphur  which  renders  it  unde- 
sirable for  refining. 

The  difference  between  black  and  green  oil  seems  to  depend 
only  on  an  additional  amount  of  clay,  or  other  mineral  substances 
in  the  former. 

The  illuminating  power  of  refined  oil  decreases  almost  directly 
with  its  gravity  and  increase  of  fire-test.  Benzine  and  the  lighter 
products  are  so  brilliant,  that  the  temptation  to  use  them  in  some 
form  is  constantly  presented.  Oil  of  150°  fire-test  is,  in  com- 
parison, positively  dull  when  the  lighter  parts  are  burned  off. 

The  safety  of  all  oil  is  increased  by  age.  Left  standing  undis- 
turbed, the  lighter  parts  pass  gradually  off,  but  the  oil  will  then 
burn  with  a dull  light. 


J.  72. 


USES  OF  PETROLEUM. 


The  amount  of  crude  oil  produced  from  the  bituminous  shales  ^ 
being  in  this  country  only  from  40  to  140  gallons  per  ton,  the 
crude  shale  oil  cannot  be  placed  on  the  market  at  much  less  than  ■ 
$2  per  barrel,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  distillation  gives  a 
number  of  minor  products  which  are  used  in  the  arts. 

The  standard  fire-test  required  by  Great  Britain  is  greater 
than  that  of  Germany  or  America ; and  yet  the  earlier  use  of  the 
shale  oils  there  has  introduced  a great  number  of  burning  fluids, 
which  are  really  much  more  dangerous  than  any  Petroleum. 

Our  refined  Petroleum  has  penetrated  to  the  most  distant  parts 
of  the  world,  it  brightens  the  long  winter  nights  of  Sweden  and* 
Norway,  and  even  Iceland,  it  is  sent  to  Australia  and  New  Zealand, 
to  China  and  Japan,  to  Russia,  Germany,  Austria,  France  and* 
Great  Britain,  in  the  face  of  the  fact  that  in  every  one  of  the 
countries  named,  surface  oil  or  bituminous  shales,  exist  in  quan- 
tities that  would  seem  to  be  fatal  to  competition. 

The  predominance  which  our  oil  has  obtained,  is  due  solely  to 
the  fact  that  it  contains  a greater  proportion  of  the  lighter  pro- 
ducts than  any  surface  oil  found  elsewhere.  Nature  has  distilled 
it  for  us  from  the  shales,  and  we  take  directly  from  the  well  an 
equivalent  to  the  first  product  of  the  coal  oil  still,  but  containing 
also  a much  greater  proportion  of  those  members  which  possess 
illuminating  properties. 

Whether  the  drill  in  other  countries  as  with  us,  would  find  a 
light  oil  on  the  edges  of  the  present  foreign  oil  territories  or  even- 
within  their  limits,  is  a question  that  some  day  may  interest  us. 

Russia  is  following  up  closely  an  investigation  of  her  oil  fields 
on  the  Caspian  sea,  and  has  employed  American  workmen ; in 
Peru,  Americans  have  been  granted  large  concessions  of  terri- 
tory, and  have  produced  a considerable  amount  of  oil. 

Austria  has  made  a thorough  survey  of  her  oil  region  in  Gal- 
lacia,  dry  holes”  have  been  found  in  Sweden  and  Norway  and 
a complete  set  of  drilling  apparatus,  with  experienced  workmen, 
were  sent  from  the  Pennsylvania  Oil  Region  to  New  Zealand. 

Another  valuable  product  from  Petroleum  is  the  residuum  of 
the  still,  which  is  used  for  roof-tar,  for  preserving  wooden  pave- 
ments and  for  bridge  timbers.  Almost  all  of  this  product  of  the 
still  in  refining  is  used  at  present,  to  a greater  extent  than  is 
generally  supposed  in  the  composition  of  lubricating  oils.  From 


USES  OF  PETROLEUM. 


j.  n. 


nitro-benzine  we  have  also  aniline,  which  is  chemically  a pow- 
erful base,  and  a colorless  oily  fluid  of  a speciflc  gravity  of  1,020  ^ 
it  yields  various  beautiful  colors,  mauve  or  aniline  purple,  ma- 
jenta  or  aniline  red,  (appearing  commercially  in  the  form  of 
crystals  of  rosaniline,  and  which  have  an  extraordinary  power  of 
coloring  in  proportion  to  their  bulk ;)  aniline  yellow  or  chrysani- 
line,  aniline  blue,  violet  and  green.  [There  is  a popular  notion  that 
the  iridescent  colors  which  are  observed  floating  on  the  surface  of 
coal  oil,  petroleum,  and  spring  water  issuing  from  coal  mines  and 
iron  ore  beds,  are  evidences  of  the  presence  of  aniline  and  other 
colors  in  the  substance  of  the  material ; but  such  iridescence  is  due 
to  the  action  of  light  on  thin  films  of  any  substance  whatever.]  * 

Owing  to  the  small  quantities  of  material  used  in  this  branch 
of  manufacture,  it  does  not  possess  any  special  interest  for  us  in 
this  connection. 

Benzine,  so  familiar  from  its  use  in  a great  number  of  the  minor 
arts,  next  to  burning  oil,  is  the  most  valuable  product  from  the 
crude. 

Petroleum  as  Fud, 

The  use  of  Petroleum  and  its  kindred  hydrocarbons,  for  the 
purpose  of  fuel,  claims  finally  our  attention  and  deserves  some 
especial  notice. 

It  is  essential  to  state  broadly  at  the  outset,  that  the  superi- 
ority of  coal  in  calorific  power  over  all  other  fuels,  has  never  yet 
been  disproved  The  appearance  of  a hydrocarbon  fire  indicates 
such  intense  heat,  that  the  many  earnest  minds  who  were  inter- 
ested in  its  use,  arrived  very  slowly  at  an  admission  of  the  actual 
results.  The  facts  seem  to  be,  that  an  average  Petroleum  has 
from  one  and  a half  to  two  and  a half  times  the  heating  power  of 
an  equal  weight  of  anthracite  coal,  their  relative  composition 
being — 

Coal,  hydrogen,  5 ; carbon,  83;  ashes,  12  ; specific  gravity,  1.42. 

Petroleum,  hydrogen,  85 ; carbon,  15  ; slight  residuum ; spe- 
cific gravity,  .825. 

* Dr.  Genth  informs  me  that  when  he  was  personally  interested  in  the 
manufacture  of  the  aniline  and  other  hj’^drocarbon  colors,  all  efforts  to  ob- 
tain them  from  the  American  Petroleums  proved  abortive,  and  therefore  he 
does  not  believe  that  the  series  of  hydrocarbons  of  which  they  are  character- 
istic exist  in  our  rock  oils.  J.  P.  L. 


J.  74. 


USES  OF  PETROLEUM. 


Against  this  we  have  the  almost  equal  offset,  that  a ton  of  Pe- 
troleum will  occupy  the  space  of  tons  of  coal,  and  to  this 

must  be  added  the  overwhelming  difficulty,  that  crude  oil  at  $2 
per  barrel,  the  lowest  price  it  has  ever  reached  on  the  seaboard, 
is  four  times  the  price  of  the  same  weight  of  coal. 

The  most  practical  commentary  that  has  been  made  in  the 
matter  lies  in  the  statement  that  with  oil  at  fifty  cents  a barrel, 
the  manufactories  in  the  Oil  Region  burn  coal,  which  commands 
there  probably  the  highest  prices  known  in  the  State. 

Nevertheless,  it  is  claimed  with  apparent  sound  reason,  that 
the  advantage  in  using  liquid  fuels  lies  not  so  much  in  any  inhe- 
rent superior  heating  power  which  they  have  in  themselves,  as 
it  does  in  their  clean  and  easy  use,  contrasting  strongly  with  the 
waste  of  heat  and  the  labor  attendant  upon  the  use  of  coal. 

The  strong  draft,  required  for  burning  coal,  necessarily  carries 
much  of  the  heat  out  of  the  chimney  into  the  open  air,  and  no 
attempt  to  remedy  this  has  been  to  any  great  extent  successful. 
Owing  to  the  predominance  of  the  volatile  members  of  the  liquid 
fuels,  it  has  been  proposed  to  so  construct  a fire-chamber,  that 
the  heat  may  be  subtracted  from  the  current  of  gas,  from  the  fire, 
before  it  passes  into  the  flue ; and  this,  together  with  the  labor 
saved  in  stoking,  would  show  a valuable  difference  in  favor  of  hy- 
drocarbons. While  the  law  is  imperative,  that  so  much  heat  is 
required  for  the  decomposition  of  water  as  is  evolved  in  the  com- 
bustion of  its  constituents,  yet  we  know  practically  beyond  ques- 
tion, that  the  use  of  dry  steam  in  jets  adds  vastly  to  the  perfect 
combustion  of  liquid  fuels. 

Many  complicated  devices  have  been  presented  for  this  pur- 
pose ; but  it  is  not  generally  known  that  it  can  be  accomplished 
with  the  greatest  perfection  by  an  extremely  simple  and  inex- 
pensive apparatus.  A narrow  pan  in  two  parts,  between  which 
the  jets  of  dry  steam  are  introduced,  a dome  like  cover  with  an 
opening  in  the  top  for  the  escape  of  the  flame,  and  the  whole  so 
set  in  the  fire-box,  that  all  the  draft  shall  come  througli  it,  wiU 
effect  a perfect  combustion  without  any  escaping  carbon  or 
smoke. 

Benzine  has  been  used  in  this  way,  with  entire  success  and 
safety,  in  many  dwellings  and  small  shops  in  the  Oil  Region.  It 


USES  OF  PETROLEUM. 


J.  75. 


is  not  found  to  be  much  cheaper  than  coal,  but  it  does  not  involve 
the  care  of  ashes  or  the  trouble  of  starting  a fire. 

The  pipe  lines  procure  their  fuel  for  their  pumps  by  taking 
the  gas  and  lighter  products  of  the  oil  from  their  tanks,  passing 
the  oil  through  retorts  heated  gently,  and  returning  it  to  the  tank 
again  improved  in  quality  and  value,  the  vapor  being  drawn  off  at 
the  ton  of  the  retort  and  conducted  to  the  fire-box. 


J.  76. 


SUMMARY. 


CHAPTER  V. 

SUMMARY  OBSERVATIONS. 


It  may  be  worth  while,  before  closing  this  report,  to  draw  a 
few  general  conclusions  from  the  information  which  is  here  set 
in  order. 

A line  drawn  from  the  south-west  corner  of  the  State  of  Penn- 
sylvania, at  an  angle  of  45  degrees  with  its  western  boundary,  or 
about  north-east  and  south-west  in  bearing,  will  include  broadly 
in  the  triangle  which  it  forms  with  the  west  and  north  line  of  the 
State,  all  that  part  of  our  Commonwealth  in  which  we  may  ex- 
pect to  find  the  great  staple  which  has  proved  such  a source  of 
wealth. 

Irrespective  of  any  efforts  that  have  been  made  beyond  our 
boundaries  and  to  the  eastward  of  this  line,  the  upper  part  of 
this  triangle,  dividing  equally  the  west  line  and  embracing  three- 
fourths  of  its  area,  has  been  tested  in  every  direction  by  nearly 
fifteen  thousand  wells. 

Just  how  thorough  and  final  this  test  has  been,  of  course, 
the  future  will  show.  North  of  Oil  City  however,  the  examina- 
tion has  been  so  searching,  that  while  some  new  isolated  areas  of 
sand-rock  may  probably  be  outlined,  if  the  price  of  oil  shall  war- 
rant it,  there  is  still  little  or  no  prosnect  of  a recurrence  of  the 
great  production  of  earlier  years. 

With  a view  to  meeting  the  questions : Whether  we  are  over- 
estimating the  durability  of  our  oil  fields  ? and  what  can  be  done 
to  realize  the  greatest  return  and  avoid  waste?  'the  following 
points  seem  to  be  worthy  of  remembrance : 

Our  everyday  idea  of  the  mining  of  all  minerals  is  based,  to  a 
great  extent,  upon  the  older  discoveries  of  coal  and  gold. 

The  special  difference  between  the  mining  of  coal,  and  other 
solid  minerals,  and  of  this  fluid,  lies  mainly  in  the  fact,  that  the  for- 
mer is  not  necessarily  wasteful,  the  bed  can  bo  measured  and 
estimated;  and  we  know  that  we  can  go  and  get  itwhon  we  want 
it,  and  stop  when  we  please.  We  know  also  that  operations  on 


SUMMARY. 


J.  77. 


the  land  of  one  owner  may  be  carried  directly  to  his  boundary 
line  without  affecting  the  interests  of  his  neighbor. 

But  the  oil  sand-rocks  which  stretch  under  adjoining  farms,  are 
not  only  affected  but  often  absolutely  controlled  by  a few  thought- 
less operators,  who  own  or  lease  territory  adjoining  that  in  which 
a good  well  has  been  found. 

Developing  a bed  of  rock  is  but  a race  between  the  owners  of 
the  surface  above  it,  as  to  who  shall  first  exhaust  the  basin  of  oil 
below  the  surface,  common  to  all  parties. 

All  this  is  highly  disastrous ; and  the  result  has  been,  that 
whereas  we  know  that  a sand-rock,  if  kept  free  from  the  surface 
water  and  pierced  by  only  a moderate  number  of  holes  will  last 
eight  or  ten  years,  the  average  life  of  a well  has  not  practically 
reached  three  years.  We  do  not  exhaust  our  beds  of  sand-rock, 
but  destroy  them.  We  pluck  the  apple,  so  to  speak,  by  rooting 
up  the  tree. 

It  is  this  feature  of  oil  production,  which  will  decide  for  us, 
within  the  next  ten  years,  whether  we  shall  still  lead  in  this  com- 
modity or  remain  only  an  example  for  some  wiser  Commonwealth 
to  profit  by. 

Had  it  been  possible  from  the  start  to  regulate  drilling,  it  can 
hardly  be  questioned  that  one-third  of  the  wells  that  have  been 
drilled,  would  have  brought  as  great  a return  as  we  have  had 
from  them  all  thus  far,  and  at  one-third  of  the  cost  of  producing. 

The  questions  then  naturally  arise,  what  is  the  condition  of  our 
oil  fields  to-day  ? What  are  the  prospects  for  the  future,  and 
can  anything  be  devised  to  ensure  the  full  production  of  oil  ter- 
ritory and  a greater  return  for  labor  and  capital  ? 

The  answer  to  the  first,  and  the  basis  of  a fair  estimate  for  the 
second  part  of  this  question,  will  probably  be  found  in  the  new 
survey  of  this  section  when  completed ; the  third  is  a problem 
not  lightly  solved. 

Within  the  lines  which  have  been  defined  on  Map  B,  between 
the  existing  oil  wells  and  gas  wells,  (for  the  purpose  of  giving 
shape  and  locality  to  the  oil  producing  region,)  we  find  the  sand- 
rock  producing  heavy  oil,  lying  in  a range  confined  entirely  to  its 
north-western  edge  and  so  described.  We  find  also,  that  the 
horizon  of  this  heavy  oil  geologically  is  higher  than  that  of  the 
light  oil  sand-rock,  and  that  the  wells  therefore  are  not  so  deep. 


J.  78. 


SUMMARY. 


We  find  also  a general  fall  or  dip  of  the  sand- rocks  towards  the 
south  and  east  throughout  the  entire  region.* 

We  find  that  the  outline  of  these  producing  beds  of  sand-rock 
when  traced  on  the  surface  of  the  earth,  seem  to  bear  in  their 
sweep  and  general  direction,  the  impress  of  the  currents  by  and 
from  which  they  were  deposited,  and  from  this  may  perhaps  be 
obtained  some  notion  of  the  possible  location  of  other  beds. 

In  view  of  the  improved  machinery  for  obtaining  the  oil  from 
these  beds,  there  is  as  yet  no  evidence  that  the  increasing  depth  of 
wells  going  south  will  retard  extension  of  the  development,  if  the' 
increase  in  depth  of  wells  be  gradual. 

The  consumption  of  oil  has  reached  a point  at  which  it  be- 
comes our  interest  to  supply,  not  in  wasteful  abundance  ruinous 
to  the  territory,  and  at  a loss  to  ourselves,  but  with  such  restric- 
tions as  will  not  only  give  better  pecuniary  results,  but  enable 
us  to  secure  the  fullest  return  from  every  bed  of  which  it  is  capa- 
ble, and  spreading  the  producting  over  a greater  period  of  time. 

Independent  of  the  minor  advances  in  the  matter  of  detail  which 
will  probably  be  made  in  the  refining  process,  there  exists  only 
room  at  present  for  such  an  increase  of  the  percentage  of  refined 
from  crude,  as  will  equalize  the  price  of  benzine  with  that  of 
burning  oil;  as  the  use  of  the  former  has  attained  to  considerable 
proportions,  this  situation  might  occur  by  |a  decrease  in  the  pro- 
duction, and  without  any  other  cause. 

We  find  that  the  discovery  of  Petroleum  in  quantity  was  so 
ordered  as  to  be  practically  co-incident  with  the  beginning  of  the 
great  war  which  called  forth  all  our  resources,  that  it  paid  during 
several  years  to  the  National  Government,  a direct  tax  of  over  ten 
millions  of  dollars,  and  that  as  an  article  of  export.it  has  brought 
a return  from  abroad  of  at  least  three  hundred  millions. 

It  will  not  be  hard  to  discern  that  this  great  result  is  due  less 
to  any  local  advantages  of  fortune  than  to  the  untrammelled  free- 
dom which  our  institutions  give  to  American  enterprise. 

*This  of  course  holds  good  only  down  to  the  line  of  the  Brady’s  Bend  syu- 
clynal.  Descending  the  Allegheny  river  from  the  Brady’s  Bend  wells,  the 
rocks  are  seen  rising  towards  the  south-east.  Three  miles  below  the  mouth 
of  Red  Bank,  they  become  Hat  and  then  descend  south-eastward  all  the  way 
to  Pittsburg.  In  southern  Butler  and  Lawrence  counties,  and  In  Washington 
county,  the  general  dip  is  south.  J.  P.  L. 


II. 


On  a 3Iap  and  Profile  of  a Line  of  Levels  through  the  Butler^ 
Armstrong  and  Clarion  County  Oil  Fields  ; with  a Geological 
Section  from  Well  Drillings^  hy  D.  Jones  Ijucas^  Pesident  En- 
gineer. 

The  accompanying  map  and  profile,  by  Mr.  Lucas,  mainly  ex- 
plains itself.  It  gives  the  location  and  height  above  tide  (per 
Pittsburg  datum)  of  fifty-four  (54)  well  known  oil  borings,  and 
the  location  of  eleven  (11)  others,  making  sixty-five  in  all,  se- 
lected from  several  thousand  oil  wells,  put  down  along  the 
principal  belt  of  recent  oil  production,  ranging  about  S.  45°  W. 
through  Clarion  county,  crossing  the  Allegheny  river  at  the 
mouth  of  Clarion,  and  stretching  away  S.  22°  W.  through. 
Armstrong  and  Butler  counties,  towards  the  Ohio  river. 

The  total  length  of  the  section  is  thirty-six  (36)  miles. 
Edenburg,  Martina,  Turkey  City,  Petersburg,  Eoxburg, 
Parker’s  City,  Martinsburg,  Petrolia,  Kara’s  City  and  Millers- 
town  are  the  names  of  places  best  known  along  the  line,  pro- 
ceeding southward. 

From  Foxburg  to  Parker’s  City  the  line  follows  the  Alle^ 
gheny  river,  west  bank.  It  then  ascends  Bear  creek  and  passes 
over  to  the  head  of  Bufialo  creek  and  to  the  high  land  north  of 
Butler. 

Here  the  oil  excitement  of  1873-4  reached  its  southernmost 
limit.  The  profile  shows  how  the  oil-bearing  sand-rocks  bury 
themselves  slowly  deeper  and  deeper  beneath  the  surface  ; the 
depth  of  well  requisite  to  reach  them  increasing  in  proportion 
to  the  southerly  dip  of  the  underground,  plus  a southerly  rise 


of  the  surface  towards  Butler ; thus : 

Bottom  of  well 

Month  of  well  alx)ve  or  Ikj-  Depth  of 

above  tide  low  tide.  well. 

Karne  well  at  Parker,  - - 884-ftidc.  29-f-tide.  855 

R.  S.  Harrington  well.  Bear  cr.,  1,150-f  50 — • 1,200 

Lightfoot  well,  Bear’ creek,  - 1,190 -f  99 — 1,289 

Crage  Farm  Ko.  4,  on  the  divide,  1,315 199 — • 1,514 


80  J. 


PETROLEUM.  II. 


Bottom  of  well 


Mouth  of  well 
above  tide. 

above  or  be- 
low tide. 

Depth  of 
well. 

Hillside  w.  on  Buffalo,  (200  bar,)  1,291  + 

234— 

1,525 

Diviner  w.,  “ (900  “ ) 1,280  + 

250— 

1,530 

Asa  Say  w.,  descending  creek,  - 1,157  + 

370— 

1,527 

O’Conner, 1,146  + 

427— 

1,573 

But  the  further  southward  movement  of 

exploration 

was  ar- 

rested  not  because  the  wells  became  too  deep,  but  because  the 
“third  sand/’  (in  which  all  the  above  wells  stopped,)  lost  its 
gravel,  and  therefore  would  not  yield  plentifully  to  the  pump. 
This  cause  was  reinforced  by  a ruinously  low  market  price  of  oil, 
occasioned  by  the  sudden  doubling  of  the  total  daily  American 
production,  brought  about  in  its  turn  by  the  rapid  exploitation 
of  the  Butler  county  end  of  the  line.  Mere  depth  of  well  will 
never  practically  prevent,  nor  ever  greatly  check  exploration, 
other  things  being  equal.  The  Dry  Hole  well,  for  instance,  was 
sunk  from  a hill-top  overlooking  Buifalo  creek,  at  an  elevation 
of  1,358  feet  above  tide,  to  a depth  of  1,631  feet,  i.  e.  273  be- 
low tide.  C.  D.  Angell’s  well,  No.  9,  a thousand  feet  dis- 
tant from  the  Dry  Hole,  commenced  on  the  same  hill  top,  at 
1,420  feet  above  tide,  and  must  have  been  about  1,680  feet  deep. 

Eight  wells  in  the  profile  descend  to  what  is  called  the  But- 
ler county  Fourth  Sand.  This  adds  a hundred  feet  to  their 
depth,  as  appears  by  comparing  the  Lightfoot  (third  sand)  and 
Nesbit  (fourth  sand)  wells,  lying  close  together  at  Betrolia : 


Lightfoot, 

Nesbit,  - - - 

Mouth. 

- 1,190  + 

- 1,196  + 

Bottom. 

99— 

195— 

Depth, 

1,289 

1,391 

Difference,  - 

6 

96 

102 

Two  of  the  fourth  sand  wells  at  Millerstown  are  selected  by 
Mr.  Lucas  from  the  rest.  The  descent,  southward,  appears  by 
comparison  with  the  two,  above : 

M’Desmit,  - - - 1,195+  290—  1,485 

Borough,  - - - n,173+  312—  1,485 

Descent  in  6|-  miles  from  Lightfoot  to  M’Desmitt,  191  feet. 
This  gives  a rate  of  descent,  in  the  fourtli  sand,  of  191' in  6.5 
miles=30'  per  mile. 

*PosHibly  ail  error  for  1,193,  in  wliich  case  the  two  wells  will  be  almost  pre- 
cisely alike. 


I).  L.  LUCAS  SUCTION. 


81  J. 


Surface,  I 


1,018  ) 1 ,, 
788  i 


The  rate  of  descent  southward,  in  the  third  sand,  between  the 
Edward  Bennett  M^ell  (Bear  creek)  and  the  O’Connor  well,  (end 
of  profile,)  appears  to  be — • 

^ ^ 1,025+  3—  1,028  ) . 

Surface,  I 420-  lisiS  f 

a fall  of  423'  in  18  J-  miles ; or  23'  per  mile,  S.  10°  W. 

This  rate  is  not  far  different  from  that  of  the  S.  W.  dip  of  the 
.sand  rocks  in  Venango  county,  as  measured  by  Mr.  Carll. — See 
his  report,  with  underground  contour-line  maps  of  the  upper  and 
lower  surfaces  of  the  first  and  third  sands ; showing  the  shape 
of  the  Oil  Creek  synclinal. 

The  rate  of  descent  along  the  Clarion  end  of  the  line,  be- 
tween the  Ballat  & Lee  well  and  the  Isabella  well,  on  the  Alle- 
gheny river,  ap^x^ars  to  be — ■ 

337  + 

140  + 

a fall  of  197'  in  13.8  miles=14'  per  mile,  S.  45°  W, 

This  direction  of  S.  45°  W.,  is  almost  parallel  to  the  direc- 
tion of  the  great  bituminous  coal  basins  and  their  separating 
anticlinals,  the  nearest  anticlinal  being  that  which  arches  the 
conglomerate  in  the  river  cliffs  between  Red  Bank  and  Ma- 
honing. We  may,  therefore,  take  this  rate  of  14'  per  mile  S. 
45°  W.  as  very  nearly  representing  the  fall  of  the  whole  coun- 
try (underground,)  synclinals  and  anticlinals  together,  towards 
the  Ohio  river. 

To  prove  this,  it  is  only  necessary  to  take  the  rate  between 
the  Isabella,  and  Brown  ISTo.  1,  along  the  river  bank — ■ 

140+  788  I 1 

3I 

a fall  of  147'  in  3.5  miles ; or  42'  per  mile  S.  3°  E. 

Could  we  get  equally  good  elements  of  calculation  for  a rate 
of  descent  more  at  right  angles  to  S.  45°  W.,  we  would  doubt- 
less find  it  to  exceed  42  feet  in  the  mile.  For  the  rate  increases 
as  we  box  the  compass  in  that  direction  ; thus : 

(a.)  S.  45°  W.,  rate  14'  per  mile,  (observed.) 

(b.)  S.  10°  W.,  rate  23'  per  mile,  (observed.) 

(c.)  S.  3°  E.,  rate  42'  per  mile,  (observed.) 

(a,c.)S.  28°  E.,  rate  45J'per  mile,  (calculated.) 

Ro  near  approach  to  accuracy,  however,  can  be  made  through 
'these  elements  of  calculation,  because  they  are  obtained  along 
J.— 6. 


Surface,  | 


82  J. 


PETROLEUM.  II. 


an  extensive  line  of  observation,  and  are  subject  to  all  the  local 
variations  of  dip,  or  rate  of  descent.  Combining  (b)  and  (c),  for 
example,  would  give  the  impossible  result  of  a dip  of  90'  per 
mile  S.  65°  E.=l°. 

At  the  mouth,  or  along  the  lower  end  of  Bear  creek,  there 
seems  to  be,  on  Mr.  Lucas’  profile,  a large  local  perturbation  of 
the  regularity  of  the  southward  descent  of  levels.  The  upper 
jirofile  shows  it  in  a striking  manner,  because  its  vertical  scale, 
originally  exaggerated  to  twenty  times  the  horizontal,  is  still  left 
exaggerated  Jive  times  as  published.  But  the  same  perturbation 
appears  quite  as  apparently  in  the  unexaggerated  profile  which 
has  been  placed  underneath. 

This  perturbation  may  be  partly  due  to  some  error  of  record 
in  the  Parson  xTo.  6 well ; but  of  this  there  is  no  other  evi- 
dence. 

The  perturbation  is  intensified  by  the  fact  that  the  profile 
line  descends  the  dip  from  Brown  Xo.  1 well  to  Parson  E'o.  6 
well,  and  then  re-ascends  the  dip  from  Parson  Xo.  6 to  Donelly 
[No.  6,  and  the  Edward  Bennett  wells,  thus : 


Brown  No.  1,  897+  3—  900' 

Parson  No.  6,1,025+130—  1,155' 
Donelly  No.  6,  972  + 


8.54°-^. 


Ed.  Bennet,  1,025+  3—  1,028' 


A true  strike,  or  dead  level,  is  lierc  seen  along  a line  S.  54° 
"W.,  between  the  Brown  and  the  Bennett,  for  a distance  of  three 
and  a half  miles.  The  true  dip  should  therefore  be  at  right 
angles  to  this,  S.  36°  E.  The  map  shows  that  the  Parson  No. 
6 lies  oft*  this  strike  (or  dead  level)  line  joining  the  Brown  and 
Bennett,  3,000  feet,  down  the  dip  (S.  36°  E.)  The  difference  in 
the  level  of  the  third  sand  is  130 — 3=127  feet.  But  127'  in 
3,000'  gives  a rate  of  223'  per  mile,  or  nearly  2J°. 

We  have  here,  then,  a comparatively  steej)  ])lunge  into  the 
Brady’s  Bend  synclinal.  Whether  this  extra  steep  dip  be  lo- 
cally confined  to  the  mouth  of  Bear  creek  ; or  whether  it  lie 
represented  l)y  a steepening  of  the  dip  to  be  noticed  in  tlie  pro- 
file further  south,  a})proaching  Petrolia  ; or  whether  we  are  de- 
ceived by  some  error  in  the  record  of  the  l^irson  No.  6,  are 
questions  demanding  attention. 


D.  L.  I.UCAS  SECTION. 


8.3  J. 


AVliat  renders  tins  eccentricity  of  the  “tliird  saiur’  in  the 
Parson  Ko.  6 the  more  remarkable  and  the  more  sus}>icious,  is 
the  fact,  plainly  visible  in  Mr.  Lncas’  profile,  that  710  such  change 
of  dip  occurs  ill  the  first  and  second  sands  above  it.  It  looks  as  if 
the  'well  sinkers  of  the  I\arson  Ho.  G had  missed  the  third  sand 
and  gone  down  to  a stray  fourth.  Great  confusion  has  arisen 
from  such  mistakes  all  over  the  oil  regions.  In  fact,  well- 
sinkers  usually  fix  their  attention  too  exclusively  on  the  gravel- 
layers  ; and  the  coarse  sand-beds  are  so  frequently  replaced  by 
softer  and  liner  sand-beds  and  by  shales,  that  it  is  no  wonder  if 
some  elements  of  uncertainty  enter  into  the  composition  of  all 
our  geological  sections  of  the  oil  regions.  We  are  obliged, 
therefore,  to  confide  in  the  accumulated  testimony  of  several 
thousand  wells,  and  in  the  local  knowledge  of  the  number, 
thickness  and  position  of  their  “sands,”  acquired  by  intelligent 
oil  men. 

Perhaps  the  chief  value  of  a profile  section  like  this  of  Mr. 
Lucas  is,  that  no  one  can  look  at  it  carefully  without  feeling 
a strong  conviction  that  it  expresses  the  real  structure  of  the 
undergound,  to  a depth  of  one  or  two  thousand  feet  beneath 
the  present  surface  ; although  not  a single  well  record,  of  all  the 
sixty-five  out  of  which  it  has  been  constructed,  can  be  said  to 
be  perfectly  and  entirely  reliable.  In  trigonometrical  surveys, 
the  observer  can  rely  with  perfect  confidence  on  the  7nea7i  of  his 
hourly  observations  (if  extended  through  an  entire  month)  to  a 
fraction  of  a second  of  arc.  In  astronomy,  the  7nean  of  many 
thousands  of  observations  of  the  times  of  the  emersion  and  im- 
mersion of  Jupiter’s  moons,  is  accepted  as  nearly  perfect.  So, 
in  our  profile-section  a comparison  of  its  sixty-five  well-records, 
each  imperfect  in  itself,  proves  beyond  the  possibility  of  serious 
error  the  following  important  propositions : 

I. — That  there  are  seven  principal  sand  formations,  viz  : 

(а)  The  sand  rocks  which  outcrop  on  the  liill  sides  of  the 
highland  of  Clarion  county,  east  of  the  Allegheny  river,  and  of 
the  highland  of  Butler  count^q  west  of  that  river.  And  these 
“ surfaee”  samd  rocks  include  Ho.  XII,  or  “ the  conglomerate” 
and  “Millstone  Grit”  of  our  geological  books: 

(б)  The  “ blufi‘  sand”  rock  which  forms  the  Allegheny  river 
cliffs  above  and  below  Parker  City.  Hitherto  considered  to  be 


84  J. 


PETROLEUM.  II. 


the  genuine  Xo.  XII  conglomerate,  this  rock  now  seems  to 
represent  eitlier  the  first  and  second  mountain  sands,  or  the 
second  mountain  sand  alone,  of  Venango  and  Warren  counties; 
the  far  northern  outcrop  of  which  is  at  the  Rock  Cities”  near 
Clean,  and  west  of  Chatauque  Lake,  in  the  State  of  Xew  York : 

(c)  The  (third)  mountain  sand,  as  in  Venango  county. 

(d)  A first  oil  sand : 

(e)  A second  oil  sand ; 

(/)  A third  oil  sand,  to  which  nearly  all  the  wells  of  this 
profile  section  were  2:)ut  down  ; and  ^ 

(g)  A fourth  oil  sand,  a hundred  feet  still  lower,  struck  by 
eight  of  the  wells  of  the  section,  at  Retrolia,  Karne  City  and 
Millerstown;  three  of  these  yielding  respectively  900,700  and 
100  barrels  a day. 

Much  must  yet  he  done  to  settle  definitely  and  exactly  the 
equivalency  of  the  various  members  of  the  ^rountain  Sand  Series, 
some  of  which  are  probably  double.  But  there  can  be  no  doubt 
about  the  wide  out-spread  and  general  regularity  of  these  ; nor 
that  of  the  four  oil  sands  beneath  theni.  It  must  always  be  re- 
membered that  oil  sinkers  care  nothing  about  the  regularity  and 
extent  of  sand  rocks,  except  so  far  as  they  continue  to  be  coarse 
and  gravelly  enough  to  hold  an  abundance  of  oil,  and  to  give  it 
out  freely.  Their  attention  is  absorbed  by  the  gravel  patches, 
streaks,  or  belts,  vi  the  sand  rock  formations.  For  their  pur- 
j>oses  toiler e the  gravel  ends  the  sand  rock  ends.  Xot  so  for  the 
geologist.  lie  must  study  the  outspread  of  the  sands,  their 
number,  order,  thickness  and  distance  asunder,  whatever  be 
their  constitution  ; and  where  they  are  not  gravelly,  as  carefully 
as  where  they  are ; where  they  are  merely  saturated  with  an  oil 
which  cannot  be  sucked  out  by  the  strongest  pumps,  as  care- 
fully as  where  they  hold  oil  which  will  fiow  and  spout  the  mo- 
ment a vent  to  the  surface  is  granted  to  it. 

The  whole  theory  of  the  origin  and  extent  of  the  petroleum 
deposit  depends  upon  a thorough  study  of  the  sands,  no  matter 
whether  they  constitute,  in  whole  or  in  part,  good  oil  rock  or 
not. 

II. — Irregularities  of  tliickness  of  each  sand  are  evident 
throughout  this  section,  and  throughout  all  such  sections.  All 
oil  men  are  well  accpiainted  with  these  irregularities.  Their 


]).  L.  l.UCAS  SECTION. 


85  J. 


true  cause  is  not  yet  understood;  uor  is  it  yet  made  very  plain 
how  they  are  coimeeted  with  alternations  of  coarseness  and  fine- 
ness in  the  composition  of  the  rock. 

But  certainly  one  instructive  lesson  has  been  learned,  namely, 
that  there  is  no  apparent  relationship  between  irregularities  of 
thickness  (and  coarseness)  of  one  sand,  and  irregularities  of 
thickness  and  coarseness  of  another  sand  above  it  or  below  it. 
Xo  relationship  is  visible  between  the  irregularities  of  the  oil 
sand  and  those  of  the  mountain  sands.  They  grow  thick 
and  thin,  coarse  and  fine,  each  one  for  itself,  and  without  regard 
to  one  another. 

This  must  be  especially  true  when  the  bottom  oil  sand  and 
the  top  mountain  sand,  1,000  feet  vertically  apart,  are  consid- 
ered. Hence  it  appears  entirely  unreasonable  to  judge  of  the 
condition  of  the  third  oil  sand,  as  some  have  professed  to  do, 
by  observing  the  coarseness  or  fineness  of  the  surface  sand  rocks. 
The  two  things  liave  evidently  no  connection. 

III.  — Intermediate  sand-rocks  undoubtedly  exist  in  many  lo- 
calities. These  do  not  appear  in  Mr.  Lucas’  profile,  nor  usually 
in  other  similar  sections,  and  chiefly  for  tlie  reason  that  oil 
sinkers  neither  care  for  them  nor  wish  to  notice  them,  most 
wells  being  sunk  on  contract  ^‘to  reach  the  third  sand,”  and 
contractors  being  satisfied  in  their  own  minds,  from  their  own 
experience  or  that  of  their  neighbors,  at  about  what  depth 
they  are  likely,  and  indeed  almost,  if  not  cpiite  certain,  to  strike 
the  three  principal  sands. 

IV.  — In  Clarion  and  Armstrong  (according  to  Mr.  Lucas’ 
profile)  the  three  oil  sands  are  crowded  close  together,  and  the 
three  mountain  sands  also;  while  a great  interval  (300-400  feet) 
separates  the  two  groups.  But  in  the  new  Butler  region  the 
oil  sands  lie  as  far  asunder  from  one  another  as  the  first  oil 
sand  lies  from  the  third  mountain  sand.  This  change  in  the 
character  of  the  whole  section  is  best  seen  in  the  lowermost 
representation  of  the  profile  section  on  the  plate,  because  this 
is  drawn  to  a true  scale.  The  intervals  between  the  sand-rocks 
are  of  course  occupied  by  shale  formations,  in  which  mud  pre- 
dominates over  sand,  and  no  gravel  beds  occur  and  no  oil  is  ex- 
pected to  flow. 

Some  of  the  above  propositions  will  be  made  more  clearly 


86  J. 


PETROLEUM.  II. 


manifest  in  Article  8 of  this  report,  hy  means  of  a care- 
fully measured  section  made  some  yeare  ago  along  Slippery 
Kock  creek,  25  miles  west  of  the  southern  end  of  Mr.  Lucas’ 
line.  But  the  demonstration  of  some  of  the  most  important 
points  will  he  given  in  Mr.  Carll’s  reports  of  the  progress  of 
the  survey  in  the  Venango  county  oil  field. 

The  three  oil  rocks  of  Mr.  Lucas’  profile  section  pass  fiir  be- 
neath such  wells  as  are  shown  in  the  Slippery  Rock  section  ; in 
which,  moreover,  the  mountain  sands  appear  to  carry  oil.  This 
is  again  true  in  the  Little  Beaver  and  Ohio  river  (Smith’s 
Ferry)  oil  fields.  In  Greene  county  the  oil  hearing  rocks  lie 
many  hundred  feet  above  even  the  mountain  sand  series,  viz  : in 
the  Barren  Measures,  between  the  lower  or  Allegheny  Coal 
Series  and  the  upper  or  Monongahela  Coal  Series. 

On  the  other  hand  the  new  Beattie  A\^ell  at  Warren  struck, 
at  the  end  of  March,  1875,  light  oil,  fiowing  at  the  rate  of 
several  liarrels  per  day,  in  a Sand  lying  at  least  600  feet  below 
the  Third  Sand  of  Venango. 

The  petroleum  of  Pennsylvania,  therefore,  must  not  he 
looked  upon  as  confined  to  the  three  (or  four)  oil  sands  shown 
in  Mr.  Lucas’  profile  section.  It  ranges,  in  various  districts, 
through  at  least  three  thousand  feet  of  measures,  and  is  of  dif- 
ferent qualities  at  different  horizons.  This  is  a strong  argu- 
ment against  the  supposition  that  it  ascended  l>y  distillation 
from  the  deep,  and  was  caught  and  lield  l)y  the  gravelly  por- 
tions of  the  sandstone  formations. 

Another  strong  argument  in  the  same  senseis  deducihle  from 
the  fact  that  a few  hundred  feet  of  shale  has,  in  most  cases, 
eftectually  prevented  the  oil  from  ascending  from  the  oil  sands 
to  collect  in  the  mountain  sands,  or  escape  at  the  surface.  It 
folloAvs,  as  a matter  of  course,  that  one  or  two  thousand  feet  of 
similar  shale  fonviations  undcrlyiiuj  the  oil  sands — (See  Mr.  AVrig- 
ley’s  profile  section) — would  l)e  c([iially  potent  for  ])reventing 
the  ascent  of  oil  from  greater  de})ths  to  collect  in  the  oil  sands. 

A third  argument  finds  its  basis  in  the  fact  that  the  petro- 
leum of  Canada  is  wholly  difterent  from  that  of  Pennsylva.nin. 
A¥e  know  that  the  Canada  oil  rocks  pass  underneath  Lake  Frie, 
and  lie  (no  doubt  with  their  proper  petroleum)  at  a great  de|)th 
l)eneath  the  oil  sands  of  the  Allegheny  river  country.  The  re- 


D.  r..  LUCAS  SKCTIOX. 


87  J. 


suits  of  the  Geological  Survey  in  1875,  will  enable  us  to  give, 
with  great  aecuraey,  the  additional  depth  to  wliieh  our  wells 
would  have  to  he  sunk  to  broach  Canada  oil.  Certainly  the 
depth  will  be  too  great  to  affect  our  production.  But  the  argu- 
ment against  any  supposed  connection  of  our  oil  with  rocks  at 
•that  depth  will  only  be  strengthened  thereby. 

The  gas  wells  of  the  Erie  shore  are,  doubtless,  furnished  by 
the  Canadian  oil  horizon. 

The  scientiffc  geological  questions  connected  with  the  discus- 
sion of  the  2,000  feet  of  measures  exhibited  in  Mr.  Lucas’  pro- 
file section  must  be  left  for  Mr.  Card’s  reports.  Some  of  these 
require  close  work  during  the  ensuing  season.  But  enough  is 
already  known  to  make  it  safe  to  state  here,  that  the  “ bluff 
sand  rock”  of  the  profile  is,  probably,  the  top  of  the  Chemung 
formation  ISTo.  YIII ; that  the  Bed  Catskill  formation  Xo.  IX, 
which  forms  arches  in  the  gaps  at  Blairsville  and  Connellsville, 
and  makes  the  great  red  terrace  along  the  Allegheny  mountain 
at  Altoona  and  Tyrone,  has  thinned  away  to  nothing ; — that 
the  White  Catskill  Xo.  X,  above  it,  is  also  almost  gone  ; — that 
the  lowest  coal  beds  are  in  Xo.  XI,  the  thin-edged  representa- 
tive of  the  great  Red  Shale  formation  which  surrounds  the 
anthracite  coal  basins* ; and  that  the  conglomerate  of  Xo.  XII 
is  here  a very  subordinate  sand-rock,  of  no  great  thickness.  The 
variations  in  this  interesting  formation,  which  we  have  always 
considered  as  the  base  of  the  productive  coal  measures,  will  be 
illustrated  by  tbe  ^lap  and  Profile  of  Slippery  Rock  creek. 

It  only  remains  to  state,  that  the  Geological  Survey  is  in- 
debted to  the  courtesy  of  Col.  J.  I).  Potts,  president  of  the  Em- 
pire Transportation  Company,  for  the  opportunity  of  publishing 
Mr.  Lucas’  valuable  contribution  to  an'-accurate  knowledge  of 
our  oil  region.  Col.  Potts  has  promised  to  add  the  gift  of  an 
instrumental  survey  of  all  the  pipe  lines  of  the  company  when 
completed.  Xo  doubt  the  publication  of  these  materials  will 
incite  other  citizens  of  western  I^ennsylvania  to  contribute  to- 
wards the  annual  report  of  1875  equally  valuable  data.  What 
is  now  wanted  is  not  theories  but  facts : local  facts ; well  au- 
thenticated facts  ; accurately  measured  facts.  It  is  the  business 

*The  subconglomerate  Coal  Measures  of  East  Kentucky,  and  of  Mont- 
gomery county,  Virginia,  belong  here. 


88  J. 


PETROLEUM.  TI. 


of  tlie  survey  to  study  and  collate  these ; and  to  extend  local- 
surveys  until  the  whole  held  is  understood.  In  the  end,  we  will 
not  only  he  possessed  of  a correct  map  of  western  Pennsylvania, , 
but  of  a correct  plan  of  its  underground,  everywhere.  What 
is  given  in  the  report  of  1874  will  serve  for  a small  sample  of’ 
the  kind  of  work  to  be  done,  the  mode  of  doing  it,  and  what  • 
may  he  expected  to  come  of  it. 

Letter  of  Col.  J.  L.  Potts. 

1129  Girard  Street,  Philadelphia,  ) 
March  22,  1875.  \ 

To  the  State  Geologist : 

Dear  Sir  : — Our  company  own  an  extensive  system  of  Pipe  • 
Lines,  reaching  from  the  Butler  branch  of  the  West  Pennsyl- 
vania railroad,  in  Butler  county,  to  the  neighborhood  of  Eden- 
hurg,  in  Clarion  county.  The  cost  of  this  system  has  been  great, 
and  early  in  1874  it  became  desirable  to  form  some  idea  as  to 
the  probable  farther  extension  thereof  becoming  requisite 
through  farther  and  new  developments  of  oil  territory. 

It  was  also  important  to  frame  some  probable  conjecture  as  to 
the  permanency  of  production  in  the  territory  which  the  exist- 
ing system  of  our  pi}>es  traversed. 

To  accomplish  these  purposes  I instructed  !Mr.  Lucas,  the 
Resident  Engineer  of  our  pipe  system  just  described,  to  make  a 
careful  survey  which  should  include  a system  of  surface  levels, 
having  reference  to  mean  tide  as  a datum,  and  which  should 
also  include  the  results  found  in  drilling  wells  which  were  situ- 
ated nearest  to  the  line  of  survey.  The  latter  information 
could,  of  course,  only  he  obtained  from  the  well  owners,  or' 
those  who  had  performed  the  drilling  o|Xjrations. 

In  many  cases  accurate  records  of  tlie  distances  drilled  through 
the  various  strata  have  not  been  kept,  as  such  records  were  not 
essential  to  the  main  object  which  the  well-owner  had  in  view; 
Init  I believe,  in  the  main,  tlie  information  thus  obtained  can 
he  relied  upon. 

The  results  of  the  whole  survey  were  embraced  in  a con- 
densed map  of  the  district,  and  a longitudinal  section. 

The  latter,  you  will  notice,  has  been  framed  upon  an  assumed.' 
air  line.  This  assumption,  in  cases  where  the  line  surveyed. 


I).  L.  LUCAS  SPXTION. 


89  J, 


varied  considerably  from  an  air  line,  lias  led  to  a slight  distor- 
tion, but  not  enough  to  seriously  affect  the  object  of  the  inves- 
tigation: 

I might  say  that  we  have  not,  since  the  survey,  made  any 
considerable  extension  of  our  pipe  system ; and  further,  that  the 
southern  extremity  of  the  survey  did  not  commence  at  the  But- 
ler branch,  but  at  a point  called  the  O’Connor  well,  some  3| 
miles  north-east  thereof;  this  well  being  the  most  south-west- 
erly one  then  producing  in  the  district. 

Very  respectfully  yours, 

JOS.  D.  POTTS,  FresideiiU 


90  J. 


PETROLEUM.  III. 


III. 

On  a Map  and  Profile  of  Coal  and  Oil  Measures  along  Slippery 

Pock  Creek,  in  Lawrence  County,  Pennsylvania ; froin  a sur- 
vey, in  1864,  hy  J.  P.  Lesley  and  Leo  Lesquereux. 

Ten  years  ago  the  writer  was  called  upon  to  explain  the  cause 
-of  the  failure  of  oil  operations  along  the  lower  reach  of  Slippery 
Rock  creek,  where  several  wells  had  been  sunk  to  depths  ex- 
ceeding 700  and  800  feet. 

It  became  evident  that  the  only  assignable  reason  for  failure 
was  that  the  wells  were  not  deep  enough,  and  should  be  sunk  to 
1,500  feet,  more  or  less,  to  strike  the  third  sand  of  the  Venango 
county  petroleum  measures.  This  conclusion  was  confirmed  by 
the  facts  revealed  by  the  oil  sinkings  of  1873,  in  Butler  county, 
as  displayed  in  the  profile  section  of  Mr.  Lucas  ; Article  II  of  this 
volume. 

The  map  and  profile  of  Slippery  Rock  is  now  published  be- 
cause it  explains  certain  points  in  the  geology  of  Western  Penn- 
sylvania, not  commonly  known  ; viz: 

1.  The  relation  of  the  mountain  sand  rock  series  to  the  pro- 
ductive coal  measures  above  them  is  well  exhibited. 

2.  The  local  tliinning  away  to  notliing  of  No.  XII,  a massive 
and  sometimes  conglomeritic’ sand  formation,  as  large  (normally) 
as  the  heaviest  of  the  oil  sands,  affords  a visible  illustration 
which  may  be  studied  in  the  open  air,  and  as  flagrant  an  exam- 
ple as  will  be  likely  to  occur  anywhere  underground,  of  tliose 
irregularities  in  tliickness  and  coarseness  wliich  characterize  all 
the  sand  rocks,  botli  those  of  tlie  oil  series  and  of  tlie  mountain 
series,  and  by  which  the  history  of  petroleum  production  has  been 
entirely  determined. 

3.  The  issue  of  petroleum  from  the  base  of  No.  XII,  on  Slip- 
pery Rock  creek,  as  in  Lastern  Kentucky,’^*  repeats  the  argu- 
ment for  the  genesis  of  petroleum  in  its  Jiome  rock,  at  whatever 
horizon  in  the  series  tliat  may  lie  in  any  given  region. 

*tSoo  itjy  l)!i|){u-  ill  I’roceeUings  Am('r.  IMiilos,  Sot'.  I’liihvda.,  Vol.  X.,  j).  30, 
■extracted*  l)olo\v. 


SLll’l’ERY  ROCK  Sl^X'TION. 


91  J. 


4.  The  same  steady  and  consistent,  but  slightly  irregnlar,  dij) 
of  all  the  measures  to  the  southward,  seen  in  this  section  as  in 
the  profile  of  Mr.  Lucas,  finds  here  another  opportunity  for  its 
measurement.  The  top  of  the  principal  (bluff?)  sand  in  well 
No.  17,  at  Seceder’s  Bridge,  lies  160  feet  above  the  datum  level 
of  the  profile,  water  level  at  the  junction  of  Slippery  Bock  and 
of  Conequeness.  The  top  of  the  same  sand  in  well  No.  1,  at 
Van  Gordon’s  bridge,  lies  100  feet  below  the  same  datum  level. 

Distance,  26,000'.  Fall,  260'.  Rate,  V : 100'. 

Mean  rate  per  mile,  53' ; S.  35°  W. 

The  shape  of  the  water-tree  of  the  Slippery  Rock  and  Cone- 
quenessing  basin  shows  that  this  (S.  35°  W.)  is  tlie  bearing  of 
maximum  dip  of  the  underground,  considering  only  the  moun- 
tain sand  rocks  next  below  the  present  surfiice. 

Slippery  Rock  creek,  in  descending  from  Seceder’s  bridge  to 
Van  Gordon’s  bridge,  follows  a somewhat  tortuous  course,  which 
lengthens  the  air-line  of  26,000  to  30,000  feet.  The  water-fall 
amounts  to  130  feet,  which  gives  a rate  of  23'  per  mile.  Taken 
on  the  26,000'  air-line,  the  creek  descends  at  a rate  of  26'  per 
mile.  The  mean  dip  of  the  sand-rock  is  therefore  just  twice 
that  of  the  water-fall. 

Hence,  at  Seceder’s  bridge  the  bottom  of  the  conglomerate 
sand-rock  (No.  XII)  ranges  along  at  a height  of  fifty  feet  above 
the  bed  of  the  creek ; — in  three-quarters  of  a mile  it  descends 
to  the  bed  of  the  creek  ; — for  a mile  and  a quarter  further  down 
it  is  covered  by  the  creek  ; — for  another  mile  it  keeps  just  at  the 
level  of  the  creek ; — and  for  yet  another  mile  it  keeps  a little 
above  the  creek.  For  four  miles  the  Slippery  Rock  flows  in  a 
small  canyon,  with  vertical  walls,  composed  of  the  outcrop  of  No. 
XII ; and  there  is  thus  aftbrded  a fine  opportunity  of  studying 
the  variations  and  irregularities  of  one  of  these  great^sand-rock 
formations  not  to  be  neglected  by  oil  men. 

The  rock  in  question,  then.  No.  XII,  is  at  Seceder’s  bridge  104 
feet  thick  ; — three-quarters  of  a mile  below  the  bridge,  where 
its  bottom  touches  water  level,  80  feet ; — and  three  miles  below 
the  bridge,  only  30  feet.  Whether  it  thins  away  to  nothing,  or 
whether  it  gets  unnoticed  below  water-level  and  eludes  further 
study,  will  be  seen  hereafter. 


92  J. 


PETROLEUM.  III. 


5.  The  next  important  thing  to  notice  is  the  appearance  of 
gravel  layers  in  the  body  of  No.  XII  at  Seceder’s  bridge.  Two 
of  these  gravel  layers  are  represented  in  the  profile  section: 
one,  at  the  base  of  the  sand-rock,  XII ; the  other  towards  the 
top  of  it.  They  do  not  exactly  underlie  each  other ; the  thin  edge 
of  the  upper  one  lapping  over  the  thin  edge  of  the  lower  one. 

This  illustrates  what  happens  in  the  oil  sands  of  the  oil  re- 
gions to  the  north-east.  It  is  in  such  lenticular  patches  and 
streaks  of  gravel,  or  conglomerate,  in  the  body  of  the  oil  sand 
rocks,  that  the  great  accumulations  of  petroleum  are  struck  by 
the  fiowing  and  spouting  wells.  Wherever  wells  are  sunk  out- 
side of  the  thinned  edges  of  these  gravel  patches  they  find  the 
sand-rock  too  compact,  and  such  wells  are  sure  to  be  either  poor 
or  dry,  whether  the  sand-rock  be  charged  with  oil  or  not. 

The  Slippery  Rock,  which  gave  name  to  this  fine  stream  at 
the  first  settlement  of  the  country,  is  a plate  of  sandstone  lying 
in  place  on  the  east  bank,  about  a mile  above  Van  Gordon’s 
bridge,  where  there  was  a natural  exudation  of  petroleum. 

An  old  natural  oil  spring  is  marked  on  the  map  at  three  miles 
above  Van  Gordon’s  bridge,  just  below  the  mouth  of  HellHollow. 
An  old  well,  20  feet  deep,  was  here  sunk,  but  the  petroleum 
issues  from  the  base  of  No.  XII,  and  does  not  rise  through  any 
fissure  from  the  oil  sand  rocks  which  underlie  the  bed  of  the 
creek  at  a depth  of  1,000  feet  or  more. 

6.  From  Gordon’s  bridge,  down  stream,  there  is  a remarkable 
change  in  the  structure.  This  change  has  caused  the  stream  to 
turn  out  of  its  natural  course  towards  tlie  west,  and,  after  join- 
ing the  Conequenessing,  to  flow  north  of  west. 

Where  two  streams  of  size  meet  full  in  each  otlier’s  face,  flow- 
ing in  nearly  horizontal  strata,  the  geologist  may  be  sure  that  he 
will  find  the  bottom  of  a wide  and  gentle  trough.  Roth  streams 
flow  down  the  dip.  The  dip  on  the  Conecpienessing  above  its 
junction  with  the  Slippery  Rock  must  be  the  reverse  of  that  on 
the  Slippery  Rock.  In  other  words,  the  long  gentle  descent  S. 
35°  W.  of  the  rocks  Avhich  we  have  been  describing  along  the 
Slippery  Rock,  and  which  is  exhibited  in  the  section,  ceases  be- 
tween Van  Gordon’s  bridge  and  Wirtemburg,  and  gives  place  to 
horizontality,  or  to  a gentle  rise,  which  continues  up  the  Cone- 
quenessing. 


SLirrEiiY  rock;  section. 


To  sliow  this,  nine  littlo  vertical  sections  liavo  been  placed  on 
the  map  along  the  banks  of  tlie  two  streams.  They  show  a sarid- 
stono  layer,  the  bottom  of  which  is  10  feet  above  water,  2,400' 
below  the  bridge;  30  feet,  1,400'  further;  GO  feet,  GOO'  further  ; 
50  feet,  1,350' further ; 70  feet,  1,300' further ; GG  feet,  2,200' 
further ; and  GO  feet,  1,900'  still  further  down,  where  Smaley's  run 
enters  the  Conequenessing.  Taking  the  fall  of  water  into  con- 
sideration, and  the  variable  thickness  of  the  sandstone  layer  in 
question,  and  confining  our  attention  to  the  right  bank  alone,  wo 
may  say  that  the  dip  in  the  hill  side  above  water  level,  rises  at 
Wirtemburg  about  40'  in  a distance  of  half  a mile,  in  a direction 
about  S.  75'^  W.,  and  then  slowly  falls  westward  down  the  Cone- 
quenessing. 

But  the  variability  of  the  sandstone  stratum  which  gives  us 
this  dip  is  sometimes  extraordinary.  At  Wirtemburg  the  bottom 
of  the  rock  is  30  feet  above  the  water  on  both  sides  of  the  stream, 
but  the  layer  is  only  G'  thick  on  the  right  bank,  and  much  thicker 
on  the  left.  Further  down  it  is  thicker  on  the  right  bank.  At 
the  mouth  of  the  stream  the  bottom  of  the  rock  is  50'  above 
water,  right,  and  only  10'  left;  but  the  stratum  is, only  4'  thick, 
right,  and  30'  thick,  left.  The  sand-rock,  therefore,  at  this  point, 
swells  from  4 to  30  feet  in  thickness  in  about  200  yards.  As  no 
material  general  disturbance  of  dip  is  here  supposable,  these 
figures  show  that  it  is  the  bottom  of  tlie  sand-rock  which  swells 
downwards  40  feet,  while  the  top  sinks  only  14  feet. 

Mr.  Wrigley  expresses  his  beliof  that  all  variations  of  thick- 
ness in  the  oil  sands,  or  rather  in  tlie  oil  gravels,  are  variations 
of  the  bottom  plane,  and  not  of  the  top  plane,  of  the  rock.  In 
one  sense  this  is  theoretically  true,  because  the  extra  force  of 
a current  depositing  gravel  should  be  first  exerted  in  excavating 
the  sand  and  mud  upon  which  it  throws  down  its  gravel.  But 
until  a very  large  number  of  observed  cases  be  collected  it 
would  be  unsafe  to  lay  it  down  as  a rule  to  govern  practical  oil 
operations,  that  the  bottom  plane  of  an  oil  rock  is  the  plane  of 
irregularity.  If,  however,  such  a rule  be  proven,  then  it  will 
follow  that  in  calculations  of  dip  the  well  records  of  the  bottom 
of  a rock  must  not  be  taken  into  account,  but  only  the  well 
records  of  the  top.  In  the  case  of  the  rock  under  consideration 
it  will  appear,  ])y  what  is  reported  of  it  below,  that  neither  its 


94  J. 


PETROLEUM.  III. 


top  surface  nor  its  bottom  surface  can  be  assumed  as  a regular 
plane,  from  which  to  get  the  grand  mean  of  dip  of  the  under- 
ground country  of  the  region. 

Mr.  CarlPs  underground  contour  lines  of  the  first  and  third 
oil  sands  of  Yenango  will  illustrate  the  above  remarks,  but  must 
be  carried  out  to  a greater  extent  than  was  possible  in  1874  be- 
fore the  question  can  be  fully  settled. 

The  Wirtemburg  sandstone  thickens  to  12'  half  a mile  above 
Smalley’s  run,  and  to  23'  at  the  mouth  of  Smalley’s  run,  where 
the  upper  17'  of  it  is  gravel  and  the  lower  6'  sand.  Near  the 
mouth  of  Conequenessing,  on  the  Beaver  river,  it  is  from  60  to 
75  feet  thick,  and  well  developed  into  two  gravel-sand  forma- 
tions, with  a streak  of  coal  between.  It  has  always  been  recog- 
nized here  as  the  genuine  conglomerate  No.  XII. 

In  all  this  distance,  from  Seceder’s  bridge,  down  the  Slippery 
Kock  and  down  the  Conequenessing,  to  Beaver  river,  we  aro 
never  at  a loss  in  our  structure,  because  the  ferriferous  (iron  ore 
bearing)  limestone  crops  out  on  the  hill-sides  above.  We  have 
seen  that  at  Seceder’s  bridge  this  limestone  is  6'  thick  and  215' 
above  the  water ; at  Van  Gordon’s  bridge,  3J'  and  155'  above  the 
water;  and  on  Beaver  river,  19'  and  227'  above  the  water. 

Distance  26,000'.  Fall  190'.  Bate  1':  137'. 

Mean  dip  of  limestone  per  mile  38  J'  S.  35°  W. 

Tlie  bottom  of  XII  is  below  the  limestone  at  Seceder’s  bridge 
165';  on  Beaver  river  about  200';  therefore,  at  Wirtemburg, 
where  the  limestone  is  155'  above  the  water,  XII  must  either  be 
just  under  water;  or  it  must  be  the  little  sand-rock  above  de- 
scribed, 10'  above  the  water,  which  no  doubt  it  is. 

Mr.  Lesquereux,  at  my  request,  made  liis  own  independent 
observations  on  the  continuity  of  No.  XIl,  but  with  an  entirely 
different  object  in  view,  an  object  to  be  mentioned  directly.  He' 
identified  the  Beaver-river-outcrop  of  No.  XIl,  gradually  thin- 
ning as  it  was  followed  up  the  Conecpienessing,  with  the  great 
Seceder-bridge-outcrop,  gradually  thinning  as  it  was  followed 
down  the  Slippery  Bock  ; and  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
this  important,  massive,  often  conglomeratic  and  almost  univer- 
sally outspread  fornnition — Avell  worthy  to  be  regarded  as  the  l)aso 
of  the  productive  coal  measures — actually  tliins  away  and  entirely 


SLIPPERY  ROCK  SECTION. 


95  J. 


disappears  for  a distance  of  five  miles  along  Slippery  Rock  above- 
Wirtemburg. 

As  this  phenomenon  is  typical  of  wliat  must  take  place  in  other 
parts  of  the  State,  and  explains  the  source  of  many  former  geo- 
logical errors,  and  as  such  irregularities  and  vacancies  must  also 
be  characteristic  of  the  mountain  sands  and  the  oil  sands  which 
underlie  this  sand  of  No.  XII,  the  folloAving  summary  of  Mr.  Les- 
quereux’s  careful  observations  is  here  added.*  He  says: 

At  Homewood  station  No.  XII  is  exposed  along  the  river,  with 
a thickness  of  160',  resting  on  No.  XI  soft  black  shales,  with  a 
layer  of  ball  ore  (clay-iron-stone)  and  thin  layers  of  coal.  At 
Homewood  furnace  and  the  mouth  of  Conequenessing,  XII  is 
110'  thick,  on  XI  shales  and  ore.  At  the  mouth  of  Smalley,  six 
miles  up  Conequenessing,  XII  over  XI,  are  together  60'  thick. 
At  the  mouth  of  Slippery  Rock  XII  is  40'  thick,  only  6'  or  8'  of 
XI  being  visible  above  water.  Ascending  Slippery  Rock,  rapid 
irregularities  are  noticable,  the  massive  XII  turning  into  one  or 
two  layers  of  shaley  sandstone,  disappearing  and  appearing  again. 
It  is  last  seen  just  below  the  lower  mill  at  Wirtemburg,  as  a six 
foot  stratum  of  grit,  overlying  6'  or  8'  of  black  shales  and  ore. 
Here  “ it  definitely  loses  itself  in  a thin  bed  of  soft  shaly  sand- 
stone, wedging  into  the  top  of  that  clay  iron  ore  which  in  the 
section  is  marked  as  under  the  bed  of  coal.”  These  strata  (XI) 
continue  along  the  creek,  above  Wirtemburg,  at  the  same  hori- 
zon and  with  the  same  character,  but  without  any  trace  of  sand- 
stone (XII)  for  six  miles  above.  Then  XII  re-appears  in  the 
same  manner  and  at  the  same  geological  horizon  (l  e.  lying  upon 
XI)  as  it  was  seen  to  disappear  at  Wirtemburg.  It  rapidly  in- 
creases in  thickness,  and  at  Seceder’s  bridge  (three  miles  further 
up)  XII  is  already  110'  thick,  lying  on  49'  of  XI. 

Mr.  Lesquereux  made  one  of  his  most  important  fossil  dis- 
coveries in  tracing  this  outcrop.  To  explain  this  the  following 
■ section  of  the  Wirtemburg  hillside,  as  he  gives  it,  must  be  care- 
fully studied. 

The  Wirtemburger  Section. 

Capping  the  hills  are  fragmentary  patches  of  a once  extensive 
coal  measure  rock,  (Freeport  S.  S.,)a  hard,  gritty,  micacious  sand- 

* See  his  memoir  “ On  Fucoides  in  the  Coal  Formations,”  with  a plate,  read 
before  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  Philadelphia,  May  18,  186G,  and 
published  at  p.  313,  of  Vol.  XIII,  of  the  Transactions. 


96  J. 


PETKOLEUM.  III. 


stone,  generally  gravelly  in  its  upper  layers.*  Its  lower  layer, 
somewhat  shaly,  is  marked  by  abundant  fucoid  (seaweed) 
for  no  trace  of  the  plant  itself  has  been  left.  The  prints  are 
moulds  left  by  the  decay  of  marine  Algm,  resembling  HaiPs 
large  Palceopliycus  tuhularis\  whose  place  has  been  filled  by  a 
softer  whitish  sand.  Accordingly  the  original  form  of  the  plants 
are  pretty  distinctly  printed  on  the  stone.  The  moulds  are  gene- 
rally placed  horizontally  on  the  stones,  but  sometimes  penetrate 
obliquely  or  even  vertically.  Omitting  for  the  present  a descrip- 
tion of  these  fucoids,  the  next  formation,  descending  the  hill- 
sides, consists  of  shales  in  great  force,  including  streaks  of  coal, 
and  thin  beds  of  stigmaria  fire-clay  and  shaly  sandstone.  The 
whole  mass  is  about  175'  thick,  of  which  150'  are  shales;  soft, 
slightly  micaceous  and  spotted  black  by  oxide  of  iron,  containing 
in  places  a quantity  of  branching,  cylindrical  fucoids,  mostly  re- 
sembling HalPs  small  palceophjcus  tuhularis.X 

In  some  places  the  seams  of  coal  become  workable  beds,  3 and 
4 feet  thick^  as  shown  in  the  profile  section. 

Limestone  3 feet  thick,  hard  and  black,  underlies  the  shales. 
It  shows  no  remains  of  plants.  It  rests,  like  a coal  bed,  on 
Fire-clay,  2 feet  thick.  This  rests  on 

Sandstone,  5 feet  thick,  sometimes  passing  into  a hard  mix- 
ture of  coarse  fire-clay  and  leaves  and  stems  of  stigmaria.  In 
fact  the  whole  seven  feet  of  rock  beneath  the  limestone  may  be 
considered  as  a thick  bed  of  fire-clay,  the  top  part  nicer  than 
the  rest.  Under  it  come 

Shales,  15  feet  thick,  soft,  grayish,  without  a trace  of  fossil 
plants.  Under  this  lies  another  and  remarkable 
Limestone,  1 foot  thick  at  Wirtemburg,  and  then 
Coal,  5"  to  1'  thick,  bituminous,  hard,  laminated,  sometimes 
bony  or  shaly.  Then 

' Black  shale,  5 to  8 feet  thick,  soft,  easily  disintegrated,  inter- 
mixed with  small  oval  pebbles  or  balls  of  carbonate  iron  ore,  and 
the  top  of  the  shale  sometimes  becoming  a layer  of  clay  iron 
stone  balls.  This  is  at  low  water  level  at  Wirtemburg. 

The  lower  limestone,  coal  and  black  shale  continue  in  view  for 
five  miles  above  Wirtemburg,  along  the  creek,  wherever  erosion 

*See  profile  section  l)etween  wells  No.  2 and  No.  3. 
t Hall’s  Pala>on.  New  York,  I.  p.  7,  pi.  2,  fij^s.  1 and  2. 

4;Pal3eon.,  New  York,  I.  p.  7,  pi.  2,  figs.  1,  2,  4,  5. 


SLIPPKRY  ROCK  SKCTION. 


07  J. 


•'Exposes  the  rocks  ; and  the  limestone  never  exceeds  18",  and 
always  exhibits  a certain  kind  of  fossil  plant,  now  to  be  de- 
scribed, named  by  Mr.  Lesquereux,  on  this  discovery  at  Wirtem- 
burg,  in  1865,  caulerpites  margiiiatus. 

The  bottom  of  the  litoestone  is  the  base  of  the  carboniferous 
.system  proper.  The  top  of  the  black  shale  is  the  top  of  the 
.subcarboniferous  system  proper. 

Between  the  limestone,  with  its  caulerpites  marginatus,  and 
the  black  shale,  with  its  pebbles  of  iron  ore  and  thin  coal,  ought 
to  come  in  the  ‘^great  conglomerate"  No.  XII.  But  it  is  here 
wholly  absent — evidently  was  never  deposited ; although  it  is 
•over  100  feet  thick  only  three  miles  up  the  creek  and  150  feet 
thick  ten  miles  down  the  stream. 

Water  plants  of  the  family  of  the  Algee  or  fucoids,  or  sea- 
weeds, are  remarkably  scarce  in  the  coal  measures.  In  1836, 
Thompson  could  mention  only  one  species,  at  the  end  of  a cata- 
logue of  39  genera  and  290  species  fossil  plants  of  the  coal  mea- 
sures. From  1836  to  1865,  no  fossil  botanist  had  added  a single 
carboniferous  fucoid  to  the  list.  Some  doubtful  forms  were  pub- 
lished by  Mr.  Lesquereux,  in  Silliman’s  Journal,  Vol.  32,  p.  194, 
and  Professor  Stevenson  and  Mr.  White  have  recently  found 
spirophyton  or  cock's  tail  forms  high  up  in  the  coal  measures. 

In  1865,  however,  Mr.  Lesquereux  found  large  numbers  of  them 
'On  the  underside  of  the  Wirtemburg  lower  limestone.  He  says  : 

They  were  found  attached  or  flattened  on  the  lower  surface 
• of  a thin  stratum  of  limestone  immediately  overlaying  a bed  of 
coal  6'  to  18'  thick.  The  fucoides,  for  they  belong  evidently  to 
a kind  of  marine  plants,  have  thus  grown,  either  as  a part  of  the 
materials  of  which  the  coal  is  a compound,  or  immediately  over 
them.  For  they  appear  to  derive  the  black  color,  which  seem- 
ingly paints  them  on  the  limestone,  rather  from  the  coal  than 
from  their  own  substance.  When  detached  blocks  of  the  lime- 
stone have  fallen  into  the  creek,  and,  washed  for  a time,  have 
been  cleared  of  the  coal  which  adheres  to  the  lower  surface,  the 
matter  becomes  bleached,  and  the  remains  of  the  fucoides  appear 
in  slightly  depressed  and  dark  distinct  outlines.  But  when  the 
coal  which  adheres  to  the  limestone,  as  if  it  were  strongly  glued 
to  it,  is  removed  by  mechanical  force,  the  stone  preserves  its 
7— J. 


98  J. 


PETROLEUM.  III. 


black  color,  and  the  remains  of  these  plants  are  scarcely  dis^ 
cernible.  ' 

The  limestone  on  the  line  of  contact  with  the  coal,  and  for 
two  or  three  inches  above  it,  is  somewhat  shaly,  though  of  a 
piece  and  homogeneous,  its  thickness  varying  from  12  to  18 
inches.  It  is  a kind  of  “black-band’^  (iron  ore)  containing  iron 
and  sulphur  in  large  proportions,  and  essentially  composed  of 
hroken  remains  of  innumerohle  marine  shells.  The  fucoides,  which 
occupy  only  a few  inches  of  the  lower  and  shaly  part  of  this  lime- 
stone, are  mixed  with  the  remains  of  shells,  and  often  perforated 
and  lacerated  hy  them. 

“ Though  hard,  compact  and  in  banks  generally  continuous,  the- 
limestone  layer  breaks  into  large  cuboidal  pieces. 

Caulerpites  marginatus  (new  species)  is  the  name  of  these 
fucoidal  remains.  Their  form,  however  variable,  may  be  com- 
pared to  that  of  a lyre  or  harp.  * * * * The  fronds  vary 

in  length  from  two  inches  to  one  foot,  are  half  as  long  as  broad,, 
and  surrounded  by  an  apparently  fleshy  or  tubular  margin  from  J 
to  b iiich  broad.  Strongly  arched  ribs,  apparently  produced  by 
alternate  inflation  and  thinning  of  substance,  pass  from  the  in- 
ner side  of  the  vein  to  the  other  border,  filling  the  whole  lamina. 
* * * * They  are  not  true  nerves,  for  they  do  not  branch 

or  connect  with  each  other.  They  abruptly  vary, 
an  appearance  likely  caused  by  the  compression  of  a body  some- 
what inflated  like  a bladder.” 

Mr.  Lesquereux  remarks,  after  a full  description  (with  plates) 
on  the  resemblance  of  these  plants  to  the  Avell  known  and  far 
older  Fucoides  Cauda-galli,  (Cock’s  tail  sea-weed,)  discovered  by 
Yanuxem  in  1835,  in  the  lowest  Devonian  formation  of  Ncav 
York,  (splendid  specimens  of  which  maybe  seen  on  tlie  limestone 
rocks  at  Tyrone  City,)  called  afterward  by  Mr.  James  Hall  Spu^o- 
phyton,  (Corkscrew  plant.) 

Mr.  Lesquereux,  after  discussing  Mr.  Hall’s  ideas  of  the  struc- 
ture of  the  plant,  remarks  its  apparent  resemblance  to  Tha- 
Icwsiophyllmn  clathrus,{\iii^\cQ  Sea-leaf,)  growing  on  the  shores  of 
llussian  America;  but  considers  it  quite  a different  sort  of  plants 
not  at  all  bushy,  and  altogether  more  simple.  He  therefore  finds 
a place  for  it  in  the  living  group  of  green-seed  sea- weeds,  called 
Caulerpce ; Avhich  he  describes  as  having  a horny,  membranous 


SLIITERY  ROCK  SECTION. 


99  J. 


Piibstance,  destitute  of  calcareous  matter,  without  cells,  and 
strengthened  inside  with  a spongy  network  of  filaments,  filled 
with  a sort  of  slime.  The  stalks  printe'd  on  the  Wiiftemburg 
limestone  are  shining  and  polished,  and  the  whole  plant  was  fos- 
silized as  a flattened  flexible  bag. 

Ih'ogniart  describes  a Fucoides  serra^  from  the  extremely  old 
limestone  rocks  of  Point  Levy,  (Quebec,)  which  must  have  had 
a similar  growth,  but  a difi*erent  shape. 

These  Caulerpites  marginatus  of  the  lower  Wirtemburg  lime- 
stone differ  entirely  from  Hall’s  Paloeopliycus  (ancient  sea-weed) 
tubularis,  both  the  small  variety,  so  plentiful  in  the  shales  high 
up  the  Wirtemburg  hill  side,  and  the  large  variety  in  the  sand- 
stone at  the  very  top  of  the  hills,  described  a few  pages  back. 
The  latter  (large  variety)  are  somewhat  thicker  than  those  of  the 
shales  (small  variety,)  varying  in  thickness  from  one-half  to  one 
inch  ; either  simple,  like  flexuous  pipes ; or  irregularly  forking 
on  one  side  only ; or  divided  from  a central  axis,  and  sending 
branches  in  every  direction. 

It  is  observable  that  although  the  shales  of  this  Wirtemburg 
section  are  mostly  soft,  grayish,  apparently  well  fitted  for  the 
preservation  of  coal  plants,  there  is  not,  in  the  whole  165  feet,, 
any  trace  of  ferns,  or  of  any  of  the  species  of  land  plants  gener- 
ally and  commonly  found  in  the  coal  measures.  At  one  place 
only,  just  below  the  mill  one  mile  below  Wirtemburg,  a shaly 
sandstone,  seen  parting  the  two  benches  of  the  coal  bed  at. 
the  base  of  the  section,  bears  prints  of  the  bark  of  Calamites, 
(reed,)  Lepidodendron,  (scale-tree,)  and  Sigillaria,  (seal-marked 
tree.)  The  Caulerpites  limestone  forms  the  roof  of  this  coal  bed. 

So  the  Archimedes  fossil-bearing  limestones  (upper  bed  and 
sometimes  next  lower  bed)  rest  on  shaly  sands,  marked  with 
large  coal  plants  and  holding  thin  layers  of  coal,  in  Kentucky, 
Illinois  and  Arkansas.  These  Archimedes  limestones  are  5wZ>-car- 
boniferous  formations,  corresponding  to  our  No.  XI  and  No.  X. 

The  pciLceophycus  tubularis  covering  the  soft  shales  of  the 
Wirtemburg  hill-sides  and  printed  on  the  upper  conglomerate 
sandstone  on  the  hill-tops,  are  also  like  those  to  be  seen  in 
Chemung  (?)  rocks  (No.  YIII,)  along  Oil  Creek,  in  Venango  county, 
Pa.,  and  in  Waverly  sandstone.  No.  X,  in  Ohio,  and  seem  to  be 
identical  species. 


100  J. 


PETROLEUM.  III. 


Judging  by  all  this,  Mr.  Lesquereux’s  first  impression  natu- 
rally was  that  all  the  rocks  of  our  profile  section  from  the  bed 
of  the  creek  to  the  tops  of  the  hills  belonged  to  the  subcarbon- 
iferous  system,  and  the  conglomerate  sand-rock  capping  the  hills 
looked  like  No.  XII,  the  base  of  the  productive  coal  measures  or 
carboniferous  system  proper.  This  conclusion  being  utterly  in- 
admissible, and  shown  to  be  so  in  the  locality  itself  by  his  per- 
sonal tracing  of  the  real  No.  XII,  as  above  described,  from 
Homewood  station  to  Wirtemburg  and  Seceder’s  bridge,  there 
resulted  the  following  important  conclusions  : 

1.  The  Slippery  Rock  section  exhibits  300  feet  of  the  lower 
productive  coal  measures,  in  a large  degree  destitute  of  carbon- 
iferous land  plants  ; but,  on  the  other  hand,  largely  charged  Avith 
sea-plants  belonging  to  an  older  (subcarboniferous)  age. 

2.  The  sea  plants  of  this  kind  began  to  live  as  early  as  the 
loAver  Silurian  age,  (Calciferous  No.  II,)  and  represent  the 
primordial  types  of  the  vegetable  Avorld.  They  continued  to 
flourish  through  the  upper  Silurian  age,  (Clinton,  No.  V,)  as 
Fucoides  antlq^ius,  [Buthopteris  antiquata,  gracilis,  pahnata,  im- 
pudica  and  ramosa  of  Hall.)  They  Avere  especially  abundant  in 
the  Devonian  age,  (Chemung  and  Waverly,  No.  YIII  and  X.) 
They  continued  to  groAv  as  palccophjcus  tuhulosus  in  the  lower 
true  coal  measure  age,  (Allegheny  R.  Coal  System.)  And  they 
reappear  as  Fucoides  Targioni  (Brogt)  in  the  Chalk  age  of  Eu- 
rope. 

The  other  type  of  fossil  sea  plants  discovered  by  Mr.  Lesque- 
reux,  at  the  base  of  our  section,  viz : Caulcrpitcs  marginatus,  is 
represented  throughout  the  Avliole  extent  of  the  Devonian  rocks. 
At  least  it  seems  identical  Avith  the  fucoides  cauda-galli,  of  the 
Corniferous,  (Upper  Helderburg,  bottom  of  VIII,)  and  similar 
forms  in  the  Chemung  (top  of  VIII)  and  in  the  Waverly  (X.)  It 
is  especially  abundant  in  S.  E.  Kentucky,  about  50  feet  beloAv  the 
base  of  the  millstone  grit  (Conglomerate  No.  XII.)  There  may 
have  been  different  species,  but  certainly  most  of  the  marine 
Algm  had  a largo  vertical  time-range  througli  the  Paheozoic  for- 
mations. 

3.  Consequently  they  cannot  housed  as  geological  guides.  We 
knoAv  nothing  about  their  internal  structure,  ddiey  AA^ero  cellular 
masses,  easily  rotted,  rapidly  losing  sha[)e  Avhen  dead, and  leaving 


SLIPPERY  ROCK  SECTION. 


101  J. 


on  tlie  ancient  shore-sand  mere  moulds  or  indistinct  impressions. 
They  cover,  by  millions,  the  Chemung  rocks  (Oil  system,)  and 
have  a thousand  shapes  whicli  seem,  at  first,  to  be  easily  classi- 
fied into  species  and  genera;  but  the  task  is  fruitless  ; form  gradu- 
ates into  form,  and  no  specific  marks  can  be  detected.  Whole 
fields  of  this  ancient  marine  vegetation  appear  like  a grass-plot, 
each  blade  of  which  has  some  peculiar  feature,  but  none  marked 
‘ enough  to  make  it  positively  distinct.  Either  there  are  as  many 
species  as  individuals,  or  all  belong  to  one  species,  represented 
by  a great  number  of  closely  allied  varieties.  They  cannot  be 
used  as  geological  guides. 

It  is  entirely  different  with  the  land  plants  of  the  coal  ages, 
whose  woody  tissue  was  well  fossilized,  the  leaves  retaining  their 
specific  outline  and  nerve  structure,  and  trunks,  branches,  leaves 
and  fruit  all  offering  themselves  for  study  to  the  botanist.  Hence 
Mr.  Lesquereux’s  life-long  labor  to  classify  the  coal  plants  in  re- 
lation to  the  coal  beds,  so  that  the  geologist  might  find  in  the 
special  vegetation  of  each  bed  a key  to  its  identification  all  over 
a coal  basin. 

Sea-plants  have  always  lived  in  an  element  less  subject  to 
variations  of  heat  and  cold  than  land  plants  exposed  to  shifting 
north  and  south,  sea  and  land  winds.  Hence  sea-weed  forms 
have  remained  more  constant  from  the  earliest  ages;  whereas  the 
air  breathing  coal  plants  were  subject  to  violent  extremes  froip 
age  to  age,  as  the  continent  was  alternately  submerged  to  re- 
ceive sand- gravel  deposits,  and  exposed  again  to  sustain  a forest. 
Changes  of  species  and  genus  must  have  followed  the  covering- 
up  of  every  principal  coal  bed. 

Sometimes  the  new  land  was  sand,  and  sometimes  mud  ; there- 
fore, sometimes  the  soil  was  warm  and  sometimes  cold  ; sometimes 
calcereous  and  fertile,  sometimes  barren.  All  such  changes 
would  change  the  vegetation ; and  hence  the  different  qualities 
of  coal  beds. 

Migrations  of  plants  must  have  occurred,  as  various  localities 
were  submerged  and  others  were  laid  dry.  No  one  species  needs 
have  perished  entirely ; but  the  groupings  of  the  species  must 
have  varied  frequently^  and  hence  one  coal  bed  in  a region 
should  be  characterized  by  a certain  botanical  aspect^  produced 
by  the  predominance  of  one  or  more  species  of  plants  over  the 
rest  at  that  time  and  over  that  area. 


102  J. 


PETROLEUM.  III. 


4.  As  coal  beds  are  now  acknowledged  by  all  men  of 
science  to  bo  fossilized  fields  of  ancient  air-breathing  vegetation, 
consisting  of  trees,  reeds,  ferns  and  mosses;  and  as  there  seems 
much  good  reason  to  believe  that  cannel  coal  beds  (from  which 
petroleum  can  be  distilled)  differ  from  them  chiefly  in  this,  that 
the  vegetable  mass  was  not  fibrous,  but  cellular  ; that  is,  were 
not  air-breathing,  but  water  plants ; so  there  is  a strong  disposi- 
tion among  geologists  to  explain  the  origin  of  fluid  petroleum, 
held  by  oil  sands  and  oil  shales,  by  a reference  to  the  proofs  we 
have  of  an  extraordinary  submarine  vegetation  in  the  Devonian 
age. 

•There  is  no  doubt,”  says  Mr.  Lesquereux,  ^dhat  the  marine 
vegetation  of  the  Palaeozoic  ages  can  be  compared  for  luxu- 
riance, and  in  some  measure  for  its  composition  also,  to  the  ter- 
restrial vegetation  of  the  coal  epoch.  From  the  upper  Devonian 
down  to  the  lower  Silurian,  some  strata  of  shales  are  not  only 
covered,  but  indeed  filled,  sometimes  for  hundreds  of  feet  in 
thickness,  with  fossilized  forms  of  water-plants  (Hydrophytes.) 
These  evidences  of  a primordial  vegetable  world  are  far  more 
numerous  than  the  remains  of  land  plants  in  the  shales  of  the 
coal  measures.  Nevertheless,  they  appear  to  belong  to  plants 
of  a soft  tissue,  mere  cellular,  probably  mostly  uncellular  vege- 
tables, the  debris  of  which  had  not  by  mucli  the  same  chances  of 
fossilization.* 

*Mr.  Lesquereux  ascribes  this  luxuriance  to  the  “acknowledged”  surplus 
of  carbonic  acid  in  the  air  and  water  of  the  early  geological  ages.  I,  for  one, 
am  not  willing  to  acknowledge  this  assumption.  Peat  lx)gs  are  now  as  deep 
and  probably  as  quick  growing  as  any  of  the  coal  beds.  Why  are  not  the 
thickest  coal  measures  those  of  the  oldest  age  ? Why  was  there  an  immensely 
long  non  coal  bed  producing  age  between  the  Juniata  (Hamilton)  coal 
measures,  and  the  Appalachian  (carboniferous)  coal  measures?  Why  are 
there  no  Silurian  coal  measures?  Is  not  the  marine  vegetation  now  as 
luxuriant  as  that  of  any  previous  age?  Do  not  the  hydro7X)a  require  as 
mucli  carbon  as  the  hydrophyta?  and  are  they  not  as  abundant  now  as  ever  ? 
If  an  excess  of  carbonic  acid  occurred  in  the  coal  ora,  where  did  tlie  excess 
come  from?  If  from  the  nebulous  envelope  of  the  earth,  why  did  its  etlocts 
not  show  earlier  ? If  from  volcanic  exhalations,  why  do  wo  find  that  the 
coal  era  was  one  of  remarkable  freedom  from  structural  disturbance  of  the 
earth  crust?  Those  and  such  like  questions  make  the  whole  carbonic  acid 
gas  theory  extremely  questionable.  Quantity  of  coal  can  bo  just  as  easily 
explained  by  reference  to  immensely  long  ages  of  unusual  quietness  and 
steadiness  of  the  relative  level  of  land  and  sea,  with  the  ordinary  amount  of 
moisture  and  heat  in  the  atmosphere.  Tiino  to  collect  and  fix  a modorato 
(juantity  of  carbonic  acid  is  as  good  as  having  an  extra  quantity  of  carbonic 
acid. 


SLIPPERY  ROCK  SECTION. 


103  J. 


^‘We  have  no  proofs  from  fossil  remains  that  tlio  Hydrophytes 
(((water  plants)  of  old  attained  a very  large  size.  The  largest 
circiihir  fronds  of  Fucoides  cauda-galli  show  a diameter  of  about 
•one  foot ; the  greatest  depth  of  the  branching  Fucoides  in  the 
€hemung  is  from  two  to  three  feet.  But  we  cannot  judge  all 
the  vegetable  representatives  of  an  epoch  from  a few  fossilized 
specimens.  These  may  have  belonged  to  a species  of  a more 
compact  organization,  or  to  some  kind  of  Coralines,  which  had 
their  surface  covered  with  a hard  crust  of  lime,  while  other 
groups  of  a soft,  mere  cellular  tissue,  which  had  representatives 
•of  a large  size,  have  been  totally  decomposed  and  destroyed. 
There  is  no  need,  however,  of  this  hypothesis,  on  the  size  of  the 
Palaeozoic  Algae,  to  argue  by  comparison  on  the  fecundity  of  the 
marine  vegetation  of  old.  Small  species  of  Hydrophytes  in  our 
time  afford  sufficient  analogies.  The  great  bank  of  Sargassurrij 
which  extends  between  the  20th  and  45th  parallel  of  latitude, 
covers,  according  to  Humboldt^s  computation,  a space  of  more 
than  260,000  square  miles.  In  places  this  floating  bank  is  so 
thick  as  to  arrest  the  progress  of  vessels,  and  it  appears  at 
present  to  be  of  the  same  extent  and  to  occupy  the  same 
place  as  when  it  was  first  noticed  by  navigators.  What  can  we 
then  infer  to  have  been  the  result  of  a vegetation  whose  force  was 
at  least  double  of  what  it  is  now,  and  which  has  written  its  his- 
tory in  whole  strata  of  great  thickness  ? 

^‘It  cannot  be  presumed  that  this  whole  vegetable  world  of 
Palasozoic  seas  has  left  nothing  after  it  but  useless  petrified  re- 
mains.’^ The  inference  is  natural  that  as  the  land  plants  pro- 
duced our  coal  beds,  the  sea  plants  produced  our  petroleum. 
The  function  of  both  was  the  same,  to  fix  and  store  up  the  car- 
bon of  the  air  for  futurity,  and  their  different  constitution  enabled 
Them  to  do  it,  one  in  tlie  air,  the  other  in  the  sea. 

Chemistry  teaches  little  about  this  subject  in  a direct  way.^* 
But  we  may  get  an  indication  from  the  natural  chemistry  of  life. 
^‘Algoe,  especially  the  group  of  the  Caulerpce,  feed  some  of  the 
animals  of  the  seas  remarkable  for  the  size  and  the  prodigious 
fatness  of  their  bodies.  Harvey  suggests  that  the  green  fat  of 

*Liebig  wrote  to  Lesquereux  that  there  were,  unhappily,  no  analyses  of 
species  of  Fucus,  or  of  other  Hydrophytes,  which  could  bo  used  as  affording 
support  to  his  views,  but  that  his  arguments  were  so  conclusive  that  they 
liad  removed  any  doubt  in  his  (Liebig’s)  mind  of  the  truth  of  the  theory. 


104  J. 


PETROLEUM.  III. 


the  turtle,  so  highly  prized  by  epicures,  may  be  colored  by  the- 
unctuous  green  juice  of  the  Caulerpa3  on  which  they  feed.  It 
is  quite  possible  that  the  color  of  the  Devonian  petroleum,  which 
is  exactly  that  of  the  Chlorosperm  Hydrophytes,  may  be  ex- 
plained in  the  same  manner.  Whales  are  not  certainly  known  to- 
feed  on  Algte,  but  their  stomachs  are  always  found  filled  with 
them.’’ 

This  leads  to  another  consideration.  There  is  a remarkable 
analogy  between  the  gelatinous  sea  animals  and  the  gelatinous 
water  plants.  Whales  are  known  to  be  habitual  feeders  on 
squids,  or  cuttle  fish,  some  of  which  are  small  and  others  of  im- 
mense size,  and  on  all  the  families  of  the  great  world  of  jelly 
fish.  Many  who  doubt  that  petroleum  is  the  decomposed  and  re- 
composed hydro- carbon  organism  of  the  seaweed  world,  are 
strongly  inclined  to  assert  that  it  is  the  decomposed  and  recom- 
posed hydro-carbon  organism  of  the  world  of  coral  and  jelly  fish 
life.  Geologists  have  noticed  that  the  casts  of  corals  in  the  New 
York  and  Upper  Canada  rocks,  underlying  our  Pennsylvania  oil 
formations,  are  often  filled  with  the  Canadian  kind  of  petroleum. 
The  corniferous  limestone,  full  of  fossil  animal  forms,  is  roundly 
asserted  by  many  to  be  the  home  of  the  Canada  oil ; and  some 
go  so  far  as  to  assign  to  it  the  source  of  the  Pennsylvania  oils,, 
by  an  ascending  distillation.  The  arguments  against  this  view 
have  already  been  given.  But  it  shows  how  deeply  rooted  in. 
the  minds  of  all  who  know  most  about  the  wdiole  subject,  is  the 
conviction  that  petroleum  is  nothing  but  the  fossil  product  of  the 
soft  sea  animals  and  sea  vegetables ; no  doubt  of  both.  But 
the  older  and  deeper  (Canadian  and  Middle  Kentucky)  oils  are- 
more  animal,  and  the  upper  (Pennsylvania)  oils  are  more  vege- 
table. 

To  give  this  statement  all  the  breadth  it  deserves  would  re- 
quire a small  volume.  Mr.  Lesquereux  has  resumed  it  in  a few 
admirably  written  paragraphs  at  the  close  of  his  memoir,  wdiich 
leave  little  to  be  said.  He  heads  the  statement  thus: 

Geological  and  Geographical  Disirihution  of  Petroleum  Deposits 
ami  Fucoidal  Jicmmns. 

‘^Oil  bearing  strata  are  seen  in  the  coal  measures  mostly  in- 
ferior to  the  big  bed  of  coal,  No.  1,  which  is  often  a cannel  coal 


SJ.ll’I’EIiV  liOCK  HECTION. 


ior>  J. 


and  sometimes  also,  but  rarely,  at  a higher  horizon,  as,  for  exam- 
])le,  below  coal  No.  8,  and  also  No.  12*,  generally  in  more  or  less 
evident  connection  with  cannel  coal.  Tliis  has  probably  led  to  the 
opinion,  still  admitted  by  some  geologists,  that  all  the  deposits  of 
petroleum  owe  their  origin  to  a slow  decomposition  of  coal  under 
some  peculiar  influences.  As  there  has  not  heretofore  been 
observed  any  indications  that  remains  of  marine  plants  might 
have  existed  at  some  places,  mixed  with  aerial  plants  of  the 
bogs  of  the  coal  epoch,  it  was  not  easy  to  account  for  such 
a phenomenon  as  that  of  the  formation  of  coal  and  petro- 
leum at  the  same  horizon  and  under  the  same  circumstances. 
But  this  curious  fact,  I think,  is  explicable  now.  When  the 
combustible  matter  has  been  formed  especially  from  the  remains 
of  aerial  plants,  whose  tissue  was  mostly  vascular,  or  vascular 
and  cellular,  like  that  of  the  Lepidodendron^  Slgillaria,  ferns,, 
etc.,  it  becomes  by  mineralization  a hard  coal,  with  thin  layers 
or  distinct  laminas,  sometimes  shining,  sometimes  mixed  with 
opaque  layers  and  flakes  of  charcoal,  and  giving,  Ijy  combustion,, 
a proportion  of  ashes  according  to  the  nature  of  the  wood. 
When  it  has  been  formed  merely  by  floating  fresh-water  vege- 
tables, like  Stigmarla  and  its  leaves,  the  compound,  originally 
half  fluid  and  more  easily  decom}K)sed,  becomes,  by  the  slow 
process  of  combustion,  compact,  homogeneous,  without  apparent 
layers,  tending  to  mere  bitumen,  thus  forming  the  different  va- 
rieties of  cannel  coal.  Now,  I believe  that  when  this  floating 
vegetation  has  been  more  or  less  densely  intermixed  with  ma- 
rine plants,  and  ]^>erhaps  also  influenced  by  marine  water,  the 
almost  total  absence  of  woody  fibres  has  casually  prevented  the 
bedding  of  the  material,  and  so,  by  slow  maceration,  part  of  it 
has  been  transformed  into  fluid  bitumen.  It  is  probably  for 
this  reason  that  we  sometimes  see,  as  at  Breckenridge,  in  Ken- 
tucky, a bed  of  cannel  coal  so  nearly  decomposed  into  jxitroleum 
that  it  can  scarcely  be  used  as  coal,  and  at  4 lower  level,  even  in 
close  proximity,  and  where  every  trace  of  coal  has  disap}Xiared,, 
inferior  strata  of  sandstone,  strongly  impregnated  ivith  j)etro- 
leum. 

* These  are  the  numbers  adopted  by  the  Kentucky  Geologists.  The  Penn- 
sylvania coal  beds  were  lettered,  not  numbered.  But  in  both  cases  coal  bed 
A,  and  coal  bed  NO.  1,  means  the  lowest  bed  of  the  Productive  Coal  Mea- 
sures. 


106  J. 


PETROLEUM.  III. 


“In  descending  from  the  base  of  the  coal  measures  into  the 
Devonian,  we  find  deposits  of  oil  nearly  in  the  whole  thickness 
of  this  formation,  with  the  exception  of  the  Old  Red  sandstone, 
equivalent  of  the  Ponent*  and  part  of  the  Vespertine  of  Penn- 
sylvania. All  the  plants  of  this  formation,  and  they  are  numerous 
enough,  belong  to  swamp  or  land  plants,  and  no  trace  of  petro- 
leum has  been  seen  in  these  measures.  But  down  from  this  red 
sandstone,  the  Chemung  is  full  of  remains  of  Fucoides,  and  where 
they  are  found,  all  the  sandstone  strata  of  this  formation  are  more 
or  less  impregnated  with  oil. 

“ Still  lower  the  black  shales  of  the  Hamilton  group  aie  so 
much  charged  with  bitumen,  that  they  have  often  been  considered 
as  the  true  source  of  the  Devonian  petroleum.  There  the  re- 
mains are  nearly,  almost  totally,  obliterated.  A few  teeth  of 
fishes  and  small  shells,  very  rarely  large  trunks  of  Lepidodendron, 
nothing  more,  at  least  in  those  extensive  deposits,  generally  of 
great  thickness,  which  border  our  western  coal  basins.  The  color 
of  these  shales,  and  the  bitumen  which  they  contain,  indicate  a 
formation  under  water,  under  the  influence  of  a powerful  vege- 
tation ; and  a marine  vegetation,  without  doubt ; else,  besides  the 
well-preserved  trunks  of  Lepidodendy'on^  which  have  probably 
been  brought  floating,  we  should  find  there  other  remains  of  aerial 
plants.  At  Worthington,  in  Ohio,  where  I have  spent  much  time 
in  searching  for  fossil  remains  in  these  black  shales,  T have  seen 
them  often  covered  with  round  spots  of  coaly  matter,  varying  in 
diameter  from  half  an  inch  to  one  foot,  showiug  no  trace  of  organ- 
ism, and  resembling  some  kind  of  round,  hard  Ulvacea',  like  those 
which  are  seen  in  great  quantih'  attached  to  the  muddy  shores 
in  shallow  water,  f 

*Ponent.  H.  I).  Rogers’  name  for  No.  IX,  whioh  is  several  thousand  feet 
thick  in  Rastern  Pennsylvania,  but  thinsto  nothing  under  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania. Vespertine  is  No.  X,  also  one  or  two  thousand  feet  thick  at  the  Rust, 
but  represented  only  by  some  thin  layers  of  sand  and  shale  in  the  West. 
These  two  formations  make  the  Second  Mountain  at  Mauch  Chunk  and 
Pottsville;  the  upper  half  of  the  Ikick  Bone  Allegheny  Mountain;  most  of 
the  Catskill  Mountain  on  the  Hudson;  A'c.  The  Chemung,  Portage  and 
Hamilton,  No.  VIII,  make  the  Valley  of  Williamsport,  Lock  Haven,  Altoona, 
<tc.,  along  which  at  numerous  points  slight  traces  of  petroleum  have  been 
noticed. 

tOnly  in  one  region  have  true  coal  measures  and  coal  bods  been  found  in 
the  Hamilton,  vi/:  on  the  lower  Juniata  River.  Here  an  early  air-breathing 
vegetation  grew  and  nourished.  The  edge  of  one  of  those  coal  beds  can  bo 
seen  crossing  the  river  at  Millerstown  about  30  miles  above  Harrisburg. 


SLIPPERY  ROCK  SECTION. 


107  J. 


‘‘Descending  further  down  in  tlie  Lower  Devonian  and  Up- 
per Silurian,  we  see  there  also  the  rocks  saturated  with  petro- 
leum, and  generally  marked  by  an  abundance  of  Fucoidal  re- 
mains. It  is  probably  from  the  rocks  of  the  Up}X)r  Silurian 
that  Prof.  Brosrniart  obtained  his  Fucoides  from  Canada.  In 

O 

Ohio  and  other  western  States,  where  the  Upper  Silurian  lime- 
stone is  barren  of  remains,  it  does  not  show  any  deposits  of  pe- 
troleum. In  Canada  the  same  rocks  have  both  Fucoides  and 
fluid  bitumen.  Prof.  Lesley,  after  an  examination  of  the  east 
^nd  of  Canada,  Gaspe,  wrote  me  (5th  January,  1866):  “All 
sorts  of  marine  vegetation  of  Upper  Silurian  and  Devonian  ages 
seem  there  in  great  abundance,  and  petroleum  everywhere  in 
the  Devonian,  and  oozing  from  the  lower  Helderhurg  limestone 
formation. 

“ Still  deeper  the  Lower  Silurian  has  small  deposits  of  bitu- 
men in  cavities  of  limestone,  even  when  every  trace  of  organ- 
ism has  disappeared.  This  fact  again  is,  I think,  another  indi- 
cation of  the  relation  of  petroleum  to  a marine  vegetation.  For 
it  is  well  understood  that  vegetable  life  has  ruled  the  seas  in  its 
minute  representatives,  Diatomacese,  Desmidiaceae,  long  before 
animal  life  could  be  supplied  or  sustained  by  it.  These  diminu- 
tive and  primitive  oil  reservoirs  are  attributable  to  the  concen- 
tration and  decomposition  of  a local  surplus  of  that  primordial 
vegetation. 

“ The  geographical  distribution  of  petroleum  and  that  of  the 
remains  of  marine  Algae  present  the  same  remarkable  coinci- 
dence. At  Oil  creek.  Slippery  Rock  creek,  in  the  Chemung  of 
Virginia,  Ohio,  Kentucky,  everywhere  indeed  where  oil  has 
been  seen,  either  in  cavities  or  saturating  the  rocks,  and  where 
the  strata  were  open  to  view,  a remarkable  amount  of  Fucoidal 
remains  has  been  observed.  This  cannot  be  a mere  casual  coin- 
cidence. 

“ The  discussion  presented  in  the  last  part  of  this  paper  may 
then  be  closed  by  this  assertion  : That  though  tlic  theory  of  the 
origin  of  petroleum  from  marine  vegetables  is  not  yet  supported 
by  direct  experiments  and  conclusive  proofs,  the  reasons  in  favor 
of  it  are  weighty  enough  to  merit  due  consideration.  The  more 
so,  that  if  recognized  true,  the  theory  presents  an  important 
chapter  of  the  history  of  i:)etroleum,  and  may  prove  of  great 
value  in  its  application.” 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX, 


' PAGE. 

Acids  in  crude  oil,  effect  of 71 

Advantages  claimed  for  hydrocarbons,  as  fuel 74 

American  Transfer  company 58 

Antwerp  Pipe  company 58 

AngelTs  oil  belt 6 

Analytical  test  for  hydrocarbons 69 

Aniline  colors  from  coal  oils  and  petroleum 73 

Austrian  oil  fields  in  Gallacia 13 

Basis  on  which  refined  oil  is  sold 68 

Bean  farm 26 

Black  and  green  oil 71 

Blood j Bynd  and  Tarr  farms 28 

Bothwell,  Kent  county,  Canada 16 

Bradford,  M’Kean  county.  Pa.,  conglomerate 36 

Brady’s  Bendj  synclinal 78 

Burning  Springs,  West  Virginia 17 

Bull  and  Cow  runs 26 

Bull  and  band  Wheels 51 

Bully  Hill 37-31 

Burning  Well  of  East  Sandy 32 

Cause  of  the  predominance  of  Pennsylvania  petroleum 72-11 

Oash-up 26 

Church  Run  Pipe  company 57 

Charley  and  Shaffer  Runs 29 

Church  Run 22 

Comparative  price  of  petroleum  at  the  wells,  and  to  consumers  in  other 

4 countries 10 

Comparative  amount  of  producing  territory  in  the  region 41 

Colorado 21 

Corry  gas  well 37 

Col.  Drake  and  the  Drake  well 5 

Coal  on  Cherry  run,  Venango  county 36 

Columbia  Conduit  company. 58 

Columbia  Oil  company 27 

Comparative  cost  of  pipe  line  and  railroads 64 

Coal  at  Kinzua  creek,  Warren  county,  Pa 36 

Cow  Run,  Marietta,  Ohio 35 

Coal  in  Cherry  Grove  township,  Warren  county.  Pa 36 

Comparison  of  the  present  and  former  methods  of  drilling 50 

Cost  of  pumping 49 

Cost  of  oil  territory 49 

Cost  of  drilling 49 

Construction  of  drilling  tools 54 

Construction  of  pipe  lines 59 

Composition  of  petroleum 65 


J.  110. 


INDEX. 


FACE, 

Crude  oil  as  a preservative 71 

Crocus  creek,  Kentucky 19' 

Dangerous  oils 68 

Derrick,  details  of  construction 51 

Deep  well  of  Mr.  Jonathan  Watson 22 

Definition  of  a producing  spot 42 

Difficulties  attending  the  protection  of  the  public  from  dangerous  oils,  68 

Discovery  of  petroleum  co-incident  with  the  war 78 

Difference  in  the  mining  of  petroleum  and  solid  minerals 76- 

Diagram  of  the  structure  of  crude  and  refined  petroleum 66 

Drilling  tools 54 

Duck  creek,  Washington  county,  Ohio 35 

Dunkard’s  creek,  Greene  county,  Pa 40 

East  Sandy 31 

Edinburg,  Lawrence  county.  Pa 35 

Emporium,  Cameron  county.  Pa 39 

Enterprise ' 21 

Economic  value  of  the  transportation  of  fluids  by  means  of  pipe-lines,  57-59 

Erie  gas  wells 36 

Estimate  of  the  past  and  future  development 76 

Estimate  of  the  extent  of  past  development 76 

Estimate  of  cost  of  a twenty  mile  pipe 63,  64 

Estimate  of  the  capacity  and  required  force  of  a pipe  line 60 

Extent  of  pipe  lines  in  the  oil  region 57 

Explorations  in  the  Indian  oil  fields  by  the  British  government 11 

First  pipe  line.  Pit-hole  to  Miller  farm 57 

First  well  in  Warreh  county 20' 

Fire-test 68 

Foster 31 

Forest  county.  Hickory  township 38 

Fourth  sand 

Foreign  supply  of  oil 11 

Foreign  oil  fields 10 

Franklin 30 

Fredonia,  New  York,  gas  well 39 

Gas  City 32 

Gas  well  at  Leech  burg,  Kiskiniinetis  river.  Pa 35 

Gas  well  at  East  Sandy 38 

Geology  of  petroleum 41 

Geography  of  petroleum 15 

General  geographical  situation  of  the  great  range  of  tlie  oil  district. ...  15 

Grant  Pipe  company ? 58 

Greene  county.  Pa 39 

Gravity  and  fire-test  compared 60 

Heavy  oil  at  Franklin 31 

History  of  the  lower  oil  region 7 

History  of  petroleum 1 

Hosmer  run,  Warren  county.  Pa 35 

Howerville,  Forest  county.  Pa 39 

Horse  Neck,  West  Virginia 17 

Illuminating  power  of  refined  oil 71 

Improvident  manner  of  producing  oil 3 


INDEX. 


J.  111. 


PAGE. 

Tm[X‘rfcctions  of  coal  as  fuel 74 

Indian  trails 3 

Increase  of  percentage  of  refined  from  crude 78 

Japan  petroleum 12 

Kentucky  and  Tennessee  oil  region 18 

Kinzua  creek,  Warren  county 40 

I^abor  required  to  operate  a twenty  mile  pipe  line 64 

IJttle  Toby,  Clarion  county.  Pa 30 

IJmestone,  Cattaraugus  county,  N.  Y 34 

Lfittle  Scrub-Grass 36 

Lowell,  Mahoning  county,  Ohio 34 

Measurement  and  sale  of  refined  oil ^ 68 

Meadville,  Pa 35 

Mean  practical  length  of  a pipe  line 60 

Mecca,  Ohio 37 

Method  of  drilling  and  pumping 50 

Method  of  rolling  tubing 50 

Method  of  utilizing  gas  from  tanks  as  fuel  for  pipe  lines 75 

Method  of  outlining  probable  producing  territory 43 

M’Clintock,  Buchanan  and  Clapp  farms 28 

Millerstown  coal 37 

Miller  farm 23 

Middlesex,  Mercer  county 36 

Motive  power 53 

National  wells 23 

Nature  of  oil  to  settle  in  layers  of  varying  gravities 60 

Newell’s  run,  Washington  county,  Ohio 36 

Net  profits  of  the  oil  business 40 

New  York  Pipe  company 57 

New  London 21 

Newton  gas  well,  near  Titusville 38 

New  Zealand  petroleum 12 

Niles,  Ohio,  gas  wells 30 

Number  of  pipe  companies  in  the  oil  region 57 

North  Rocks,  conglomerate,  near  Warren,  Pa 37 

Number  of  wells  drilled 48 

Number  of  members  and  series  in  composition  of  petroleum 65 

Octave  Pipe  company 57 

Octave  district 23 

Oil  City 20 

Oil  sand-rocks  controlled  by  each  individual  operator 77 

Oil  Spring  reservation.  New  York 84 

Oil  Springs,  Cumberland  river,  Kentucky 10 

Oil  Springs,  Bothwell  county,  Canada 16 

Oil  creek  in  1750 ! 1 

Olean,  New  York *1 37 

Outline  of  the  oil  bearing  part  of  the  State 76 

Over  production  of  1861,  1862  6 

Over  production  of  1873,  1874  7 

Painesville,  Ohio,  gas  wells 39 

Panama,  New  York,  conglomerate 30 

Panama,  New  York,  sand-rocks  found  in  well 40> 


J.  112. 


INDEX. 


PAGE. 

Percentage  of  refined  from  crude 67 

Perfect  distillation  of  crude  oil 66 

Pennsylvania  Transportation  company 57 

Petroleum  Centre 27 

Petroleum  as  fuel 73 

Petroleum,  not  a simple  fluid 65 

Petroleum  and  artesian  wells  in  China 12 

Petrolia,  liambton  county,  Canada 16 

Peculiarities  of  the  West  Virginia  oil  region ' 17 

Pipe  Line  transportation 56 

Pit-hole 26 

Pleasantville 23 

Process  of  refining 66 

Properties  of  refined  petroleum 65 

Pumps  for  pipe  lines 59 

Pumping 55 

Raymilton,  Venango  county,  Pa ’ 38 

Rangoon  district ' 11 

Residuum  in  lubricating  oils 72 

Refining 64 

Reno 30 

Red  Hot 25 

Relief  Pipe  company 58 

Relative  spaces  occupied  by  equal  weights  of  coal  and  petroleum 74 

Regulating  drilling,  the  possibility  77 

Refining  capacity  of  United  States 70 

Ready  tests  for  the  consumer 69 

Relative  heating  powers  of  petroleum  and  coal 73 

Record  of  well  at  Volcano,  West  Virginia 18 

Record  of  oil  sands,  lower  oil  fields 33 

Record  of  Fredonia  gas  well 44 

Record  of  well  at  Shamburg 24 

Relative  composition  of  crude  and  refined  petroleum 65 

Record  of  a Canada  well .Vv  16 

Report  of  B.  S.  Lyman,  on  the  Punjaub  district 12 

Rouseville - 28 

Rochester  and  Oleopolis  Pipe  company. 58 

Rock  City,  Allegheny  county,  N.  Y.,  conglomerate 39 

Russian  petroleum,  Caucasus.. 13 

Sage  Run 39-30 

Sand-pump  reel 51 

Sampson  post  and  walking  beam 52 

Safety  of  oil  increased  by  age 71 

Sand  Hill,  West  Virginia * 17 

Sand-rocks  at  Watson’s  deep  well 44 

Scrub-Grass 31 

Scientific  opinions  and  early  theories 6 

Shamburg 24 

Sliaft  at  Tideoute 20 

Sugar  crook 37-39 

vSimple  device  for  burning  petroleum 74 

Silver  and  copi>or  among  the  Indians,  how  obtained 3 


INDEX. 


J.  113. 


I'AOK. 

Slippery  Rock  creek 34 

Statistics  of  petroleum 47 

Smith’s  Ferry,  Ohio 37 

Special  tools 55 

Stand  Off  City 29 

Stewart’s  run 36 

Surface  oil  in  first  sands 45 

Surface  oil,  how  formerly  obtained 2 

.Summary  observations ‘ 76 

. Summary  of  the  main  points  for  the  protection  of  the  public  from  dan- 
gerous oils 70 

Suggestions  concerning  the  protection  of  the  public  from  dangerous 

oils 69 

Tax  paid  by  petroleum  to  the  United  States 78 

Tarentum.. 35-4 

Tideoute 19 

Table  of  production— price  and  export  from  the  commencement 47 

Titusville  Pipe  company 57 

Titusville 22 

Thorn  creek,  Butler  county.  Pa 37 

Third  sand,  from  Enterprise  to  Titusville 45 

Total  production  to  date 7 47 

Total  value  of  export 78 

Troy  township,  Crawford  county. . 38 

Triumph  City 1 ..W'.T.. 20 

The  Canada  oil  region f..  '. 16 

The  casing 52 

The  difference  in  the  extent  of  the  upper  and  lower  sand-rocks 42 

The  Drake  well .7 . .7 22-38 

'The  discovery  of  salt 4 

The  driving  pipe 52 

The  economics  of  petroleum 47 

The  Economy  tract,  at  Tideoute  20 

The  eastern  and  western  belts  at  Millerstown 33 

The  fourth  sand,  cross-belt 8 

The  first  pipe  line 56 

The  fall  or  dip  of  the  sand-rock 45 

The  first  flowing  well 5 

The  first  lease  for  oil  purposes  . ^ 4 

The  first  refining  of  petroleum 4 

The  first  wells  of  Tideoute 19 

The  future  of  oil  production 77 

The  four  main  products  of  the  still 67 

The  geological  situation  of  the  third  or  oil  bearing  sand 42 

The  Indians  of  western  Pennsylvania..'.! 2 

The  lowest  third  sand  of  the  oil  region 45 

The  life  of  a well 48 

The  lower  oil  fields 32 

The  maximum  depth  of  wells  not  yet  attained 78 

The  Phillips  and  Empire  wells 5 

The  general  outline  of  the  Pennsylvania  oil  region 17 


8-J 


J.  114. 


INDEX. 


PAGE, 

The  range  producing  heavy  oil 77 

The  relative  advance  of  the  Pennsylvania  drillers  in  the  art 50 

The  relative  weights  of  oils  of  different  fire-tests. 69 

The  rig : 51 

The  section,  diagramatic 43 

The  strata  underlying  western  Pennsylvania 41 

The  use  of  direct  trails  as  means  of  communication  by  Indians  and 

early  white  settlers 3 

The  uses  of  petroleum 71 

The  Watson  and  Parker  fiats. 22 

The  well ^ rr. . .v^. .» 52 

Union  Pipe  company 58 

United  Pipe  lines _. 58 

Use  of  dry  steam  in  petroleum  as  fuel.’.T 74 

Use  of  benzine  as  fuel 74 

Utica,  French  creek.  Pa 35 

"Value  of  the  total  export 48 

Varying  gravity  of  crudes • 71 

Valves  and  sucker  rods ^ 56 

Volcano,  West  Virginia ^ .^ 17 

Water  packer 53 

Walnut  Bend ■. 30 

Walled  oil  pits 1 

Water  shed  of  the  oil  country 15 

- “Water  logging”  of  the  sand-rock 9 

West  Pit-hole 4 23 

West  Hickory 20 

West  Virginia  and  Ohio  oil  region 17 

Wells  at  Tideoute  in  first  sand 45 

West  Hickory  heavy  oil 37 

White  Oaks,  West  Virginia 39-17 

What  we  are  searching  for 42 

Wilcox,  Elk  county.  Pa 37 

"Yield  of  crude  from  bituminous  shales 72 


INDEX  TO  ARTICLE  11. 


MAP  AND  SECTION  OP  PIPE  LINE  BY  D.  JONES  LUCAS. 

Page. 

Allegheny  river  79,  bluffs  83,  coal  system 86 

Altoona  ; : 87 

Angell  (G.  D. ) well 80 

Armstrong  county 85 

Asa  Say  well 80 

Ballat  & Lee  well 8L 

Barren  coal  measure  petroleum 86 

Bear  creek,  Butler  county 79,  81 

Beattie  well  at  Warren 86 

Bennett  (Edward)  well 81,82 

Blairsville  Old  Red  sandstone 87 

Bluff  sand-rock  on  Allegheny  river 83,  87 

Borough  well,  Butler  county 80 

Brown  No.  1 well 81,  82 

Brady’s  Bend  synclinal 82 

Buffalo  creek,  Butler  county 79 

Butler  fourth  oil-sand  80;  oil  region 85 

Canada  petroleum 86 

Carll’s  calculations  of  dip  81 ; reports  of  1874 86,  87 

Catskill  Old  Red  sandstone  formation 87 

Chautauque  Lake  conglomerate 84 

Chemung  formation 87 

Clarion  oil  district  81 ; highland 85,  86 

Conglomerate  No.  XII 83,  87 

Connellsville  Old  Red 87 

Crage  Farm  well 87 

Depth  of  Canada  oil  beneath  Pennsylvania 87 

Dip  of  oil  rocks  in  Western  Pennsylvania 82 

Diviner  well,  Butler  county 80 

Donelly  No.  6 well 82 

Dry  Hole  well,  Butler  county 80 

Edenburg 79,88 

Empire  Transportation  Company 87 

Erie  gas  wells 87 

First  oil-sand 84 

Fourth  oil-sand  of  Butler  county 80 

Foxbury 79 

Gas  wells  of  Erie 87 

Gravel  layers  83;  gravel  and  oil 84 

Greene  county  petroleum 86 

Harrington  well 79 


(115  J.) 


116  J. 


INDEX. 


rAGE.. 

Hillside  well  80' 

Intermediate  sands 

Intervals  between  sands 85^ 

Irregularity  of  sand-rocks 84 

Isabella  well 81 

Karne’s  City  79,  84 ; well  at  Parker 70 

Kentucky  subconglomerate  coal  measures 87 

Lake  Erie  underlaid  by  Canada  oil 86 

Lightfoot  well 79,  80 

Little  Beaver  river  petroleum 86 

Local  perturbation  of  dip  at  Bear  creek 82: 

Lower  or  Allegheny  coal  system 86 

Lucas’  section  along  pipe  line 88’ 

^[artina 70 

Martinsburg 70 

M’Desmit  well 80 

Mahoning 81 

Mean  of  observations  to  be  trusted 83 

Millerstown 79,  80, 84 

Millstone  grit.  Conglomerate,  No.  XII 8S 

Monongahela  Upper  coal  measures 86: 

Montgomery  county,  Va.,  subconglomerate  coal  measures 87 

Mountain  sand  series 84 

Nesbitwell 80 

New  York  State  conglomerate 84 

No.  VIII,  Chemung  formation 87 

No.  IX,  Catskill  old  red  sandstone 87 

No.  X,  Catskill,  white  sandstone,  Berea 87 

No.  XII,  Conglomerate 83,  84,  87 

O’Connor  well 80,  81,  89 

Ohio  river  petroleum 86 

Oil-belt  trend 79 

Oil  excitement  of  1873 79 

Oil  Creek  synclinal 81 

Oil  sand  system 84 

Olean  in  New  York,  conglomerate 84 

Parker  City  79,  83 ; Karne  well, 79 

Parson  No.  6 well  at  Bear  creek 82,  83 

Petersburg 79 

Petrolea 79,  82,  84 

Petroleum  of  Pennsylvania 86 

Pipe  line 87,88 

Potts  (Col.  J.  I).)  87;  letter 88 

Rate  of  descent  or  dip  in  third  sjind 81 

Rate  of  descent  or  dip  in  fourth  sand 80 

Rate  of  dip  for  tlie  whole  country 81, 82 

Range  of  petroleum,  vertically 86 

Recent  oil  production 79 

Red  Bank  creek  anticlinal 81 

Relationship  of  oil  to  surface  rocks 85 

Reliability  of  well  records 83 

Rock  City  conglomerate,  second  mountain-sand 84 


INDEX.  117  J. 

rAOK. 

Sands,  seven  in  nunibcr 8‘i 

Second  mountain-sand ! 84 

Second  oil-siind 84 

Shales  stop  the  ascent  of  oil SG 

Slippery  Rock  creek  section 8G 

Smith’s  ferry,  Ohio  river,  petroleum 86 

Strike  of  country 82 

Subconglomerate  coal 87 

Surface-sand  rock 86 

Terrace  on  Allegheny  mountain 87 

Third  oil-sand 83,  84,  86 

Third  mountain-sand 84 

Turkey  City 79 

Tyrone 87 

Upper  coal  system  (Monongahela) 86 

Venango  county  oil  field 84,  86 

Warren  oil. . . r 84, 86 

West  Pennsylvania  railway.'.' 88 

Wrigley’s  report 86 


I^f  DEX  TO  ARTICLE  III. 

REPORT  OF  SLIPPERY  ROCK  CREEK. 


PAGE 

Algfe 

Altoona 

Appalachian  coal  field. 102 

Archimedes  limestone  in  the  west 99 

Arkansas,  No.  XI,  coal 99 

Beaver  river  Conglomerate  No.  XII *.  94 

Bitumen  in  limestone 107 

Blackband  iron  ore  -with  shells 9S 

Black  slates  of  No.  VIII,  Hamilton 106 

Breckenridge  cannel  and  oil 105> 

Brogniart’s  Canada  fucoides 107 

Buthopteris  (Hall) 100 

Calamites  in  coal  measures 99 

Calciferous  SS,  No.  II,  seaweeds 100 

Canada  oil  differs  from  Pennsylvania  oil 104 

Cannel  coal  and  Petroleum 105 

Carbonate  of  iron  ore 96 

Carbonic  acid  in  excess  in  atmosphere  / 102 

CarlPs  report  of  1874  94 

Cauda-galli  seaweed 97, 98 

Caulerpites  marginatus  ( Lesq. ) 97, 98, 99, 100 

Caulerpites  limestone 99 

Caulerpae  family  described 98 

Caulerpse,  food  of  turtles,  Ac 106, 104 

Cellular  tissue  of  petroleum  plants 102 

Chalk  of  England  and  seaweeds 100 

Chemistry  of  petroleum 103 

Chemung  formation  on  Oil  creek 99 

Chemung,  No.  VIII,  full  of  seaweeds 100, 106 

Chlorosperm  hydrophytes 104 

Clinton  formation.  No.  V,  seaweeds 100 

Coalbed  of  No.  XI,  under  Conglomerate 05 

Cock’s  tail  fucoid 97, 98 

Conequenessing  creek.. 01 

Coral  petroleum  in  New  York 104 

Coralines 103 

Corkscrew  plant  (Spiropliyton) - 98 

Corniferous  formation.  No.  VIII. lOO 

DesmidiaceJB  produce  oil 107 

Devonian  fucoides  98,  100 ; petroleum. .....  106 

Diatomacea3  produce  oil 107 


(119  J.) 


120  J. 


INDEX. 


rAGK. 

Dip  of  sand  rocks  irregular 91 

Distribution  of  oil  geological  and  geographical 104  ‘ 

Excess  of  carbonic  acid  in  atmosphere 102 

Ferns,  absent  from  Wirtemburg  shales 99 

Ferriferous  Limestone  outcrop 94 

Fire-clay 96 

Fish  teeth 106 

Fossil  plants, 95 

Freeport  Sandstone  on  hill  tops 95 

Fucoids  serra  99 ; antiquus,  Targioni 100 

Fucoides  cauda-gilli 103 

Fucoides  scarce  in  coal  measures. ; 96, 97 

Fucoides  and  shells  mixed 98 

Fucoides  and  petroleum 104 

Gasp4  fucoides 107 

Genesis  of  petroleum 90, 101 

Geographical  distril^ition  of  petroleum 104 

Geological  distribution  of  petroleum 104 

Gravel  layers  in  sand  rocks 92 

Groupings  of  fossil  plant  species 101 

Hall  (James)  96;  fucoides 98 

Hamilton  black  slate.  No.  VIII )106 

Harvey 103 

Helderburg  (Upper)  100;  limestone 107 

Hell  Hollow 92 

Homewood  station  and  furnace,  Beaver 95 

Humboldt  on  the  Sargasso  seaweed 103 

Hydrocarbons  (petroleums) 104 

Hydrophytes  (water  plants) 102,103 

Illinois,  No.  XI,  coal 09 

Irregular  dip 01 

Iron  ore  of  No.  XI 05 

Jelly  fish  petroleum 104 

Juniata  coal  measures  in  VIII 102, 106 

Kentucky  petroleum 00 

Kentucky  sub-carboniferous  coal,  XI 09 

Kentucky  fucoides 100 

Lepidodendron,  (fossil scale-trees,)  99, 105,J06 

Lesquereux  (Leo)  13;  survey 04 

Lesquereux’s  caulerpites  marginatus 07 

Lesquereux’s  resume  of  the  subject 104 

Liebig’s  letter  to  Lesquereux 103 

Limestone  of  XI 96, 97 

Lock  Haven,  Chemung 100 

Lower  Silurian  fucoides 100 

Luxuriance  of  sea  vegetation  in  all  ages 102 

Marino  shells  in  black  band  ore,  XI 08 

Mauch  Chunk,  Catskill  F.  IX 100 

Migrations  of  plants 101 

Millerstown  coal 100 

Natural  oil  spring,  Slippery  Rock 02 

No.  II,  fucoides,  seaweeds 100 

% 


INDEX. 


J.  121 


No.  V,  fiicoidcs,  seaweeds 

]^o.  VIII,  on  Oil  creek,  seaweeds 

No.  X,  in  Ohio,  seaweeds 

No.  XI,  limestone 

No.  XII,  oil  90;  variable  90 ; on  Beaver  river 

No.  XII,  traced  by  Lesquereux  95;  disappears  

Ohio  fucoides 

Ohio,  No.  X,  Waverly 

Oil  Creek,  No.  VIII,  Chemung 

Oil  sands  of  Venango  county 

Oil  spring  on  Slippery  Rock  creek 

Old  Red  sandstone,  Catskill 

Palseophycus  tubularis  (Hall) 

♦ Palseozoic  algse • 

Petroleum  from  seaweeds 

Petroleum  not  from  coal 

Point  "Lfevy  fucoides 

* Ponent  Red  sandstone  of  Rogers,  IX 

. Pottsville 

' Quebec  group  fucoides 

^ Range  of  the  Cauda-gilli  fucoid 

Rate  of  dip  of  Conglomerate  and  lime 

Rate  of  water  fall  in  Slippery  Rock 

Reeds  

Relation  of  petroleum  to  gravel  rock 

Rocks,  saturated  with  petroleum 

Russian  America,  seaweed 

Sargassum  fucoid,  and  sea 

Scale-tree,  (Lepidodendron,) 

Seal  marked  tree  (Sigillaria) 

Seaweed  fossils  useless  as  guides 

Seaweeds  numerous  and  productive 

Seceder’s  bridge  on  Slippery  Rock 

Second  Mountain,  Eastern  Pennsylvania,  Catskill,  No,  IX 

Sigillaria,  (seal  marked  tree  fossil) 

Slippery  Rock  100 ; creek  survey 

Smalley’s  run 

Spirophyton,  (screw  plant)  fucoid 

Stevenson,  (J.  J.) 

Stigmaria 

Subcarboniferous  coal.  No.  XI 

Synclinal  of  Conequenessing  creek 

Thalassiophyllum  clathrus,  (lattice  seaweed,) 

TJlvacese. 

Tipper  Canada  petroleum 

Upper  Helderburg 

Van  Gordon’s  bridge.  Slippery  Rock  creek 

Venango  county,  oil-sands 

Vertical  sections  down  the  creek 

Vespertine  sandstone  of  Rogers,  No.  X 

Waterplants 

Waverly  sandstone  of  the  Ohio  survey.  No.  X 


PAOK. 

100 

....  {>9,100 
....  99,100 

97 

94 

..  93,95,97 

107 

99 

99 

94 

92 

.....  106 
. 96,99,100 

103 

101, 103, 104 
...  101,103 

99 

106 

106 

99 

98 

91,94 

91 

99 

92 


93 

...  103 

99 

99 

...  100 

96,101 
91,94, 100 

...  106 
...  105 

90 

94 
97 
97 

,..  96,105 
99 

92 

93 

. . . . 106 
, . . . 104 

...  100 

....  91,94 

94 
93 

, . . . 106 
,...  ‘'102 

...'  99 


122  J.  - INDEX. 

PAGE. 

Waverly  seaweeds lOO 

Wells,  No.  I,  91 ; No.  19 91 

White 97 

Williamsport 106 

Wirtemburg  92,  100 ; sandstone  94 ; XII  95  ; limestone 99 

Worthington  in  Ohio 106 

Wrigley’s  views  of  variation  of  sandrocks 9S 


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